Roll of Honor
Incident
Corrections Officer Sterling Heinbaugh died from complications as a result of contracting COVID-19 while supervising inmates at the Franklin County Jail at 1804 Opportunity Avenue in Chambersburg.
Officer Heinbaugh had served with the Franklin County Jail for 1-1/2 years and had previously served in Maryland for 20 years.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Corrections Officer Sterling David Heinbaugh, Jr. died on December 28, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 58.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his companion, three children, and two grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-PA-87D44BC8- Stewardship
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- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Corrections Officer Heinbaugh gave the Franklin County Jail 21 years.
Thank you for your service to the Chambersburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corrections Officer Heinbaugh.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Corrections Officer Sterling David Heinbaugh, Jr. is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In PA, 121 of 1,261 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 9.6% of this state's fallen. That is 0.5 percentage points above the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Sterling David Heinbaugh, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Sterling David Heinbaugh, Jr. Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Sterling David Heinbaugh, Jr. is highlighted in Dec.