Roll of Honor

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Sergeant

William Dean Arledge

North Carolina Highway Patrol — Raleigh, NC

Veteran → Veteran → Felonious

End of Watch October 5, 1974

Age 54

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

Badge G-422

The Vigil Panel 114 ›

Gender Male

Incident Service The Sacrifice Military Department 68

Incident

Sergeant William Arledge and Patrolman Lawrence Canipe were shot and killed in the basement of the Buncombe County Courthouse. Sergeant Arledge was assisting Patrolman Canipe in administering a breathalyzer test when the suspect was able to gain control of one of the officers' handguns and shot them both. The suspect was apprehended the next day by a deputy sheriff in Asheville. The suspect was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder on March 28th, 1975, and sentenced to two life terms. He died in prison on September 5th, 1995. Sergeant Arledge was a U.S. Navy veteran of WWII and had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 23 years. He was survived by his wife and two daughters. In August 2000, a six-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 74 in Polk County was renamed Sgt. W. Dean Arledge Memorial Highway in honor of Sergeant Arledge.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife and two daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier: BO-US-NC-7E27353E
Stewardship: Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw: August 2, 2026
Last updated: August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Navy, salute.nw. One record, 3 gates. William is one person.

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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.
Sergeant Arledge gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 23 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Department North Carolina Highway Patrol

Type Highway Patrol

Location Raleigh, NC

Platform Identity nchp.nc.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch October 5, 1974

Tour of Duty 23 yrs

Age 54

Badge Number G-422

Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Felonious

Weapon Officer's handgun

Military Service

William Dean Arledge served in the the United States military (1944â1946) before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Sergeant William Dean Arledge is one of 1 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,759 officers honored here.

In NC, 385 of 664 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 58% of this state's fallen. That is 58 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At North Carolina Highway Patrol, 23 of 69 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.

North Carolina Highway Patrol

of 69 officers

33.3% Felonious

NC — Statewide

385

of 664 officers

58% Felonious

Nationwide

of 97,759 officers

0% Felonious