Roll of Honor
Sollie Waller "Wally" Rabun, Jr.
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Wally Rabun was killed when his patrol car was struck by a train at 1:20 p.m. at a crossing on Hoover Road in Eloise. He was en route to an investigation when he crossed over the tracks that did not have gates or warning lights. Deputy Rabun was a United States Navy Vietnam veteran who had served with the Polk County Sheriff's Office and previously served with the Bartow Police Department.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and infant son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-E3C61E42- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Deputy Sheriff Rabun gave the Polk County Sheriff's Office 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Winter Haven community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Sollie Waller "Wally" Rabun, Jr. served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Deputy Sheriff Sollie Waller "Wally" Rabun, Jr. is one of 10,088 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 31% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 313 of 1,008 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.1% of this state's fallen. That is 0.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Polk County Sheriff's Dept., 9 of 18 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sollie Waller "Wally" Rabun, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Sollie Waller "Wally" Rabun, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Sollie Waller "Wally" Rabun, Jr. is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
17 officers from Polk County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
