Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Donald Schavolt suffered a fatal heart attack after being kicked in the chest by a juvenile suspect during an arrest attempt in the Casa Del Monte Mobile Home Park.
He and three other deputies had responded to a noise complaint and found the suspect lying in the street when they arrived. The suspect violently resisted arrest and it took four deputies to restrain him.
Deputy Schavolt transported the suspect to a local medical center where he again resisted. Later, Deputy Schavolt went and sat down inside at the hospital and then collapsed. The suspect was charged as a juvenile with second-degree murder, and resisting arrest with violence as a result of Deputy Schavolt's death.
An autopsy determined that Deputy Schavolt's heart attack did not directly result from being kicked in the chest. The suspect's charges were reduced to felony battery, resisting arrest, and two counts of misdemeanor assault.
Deputy Schavolt is survived by his wife and four children.
Survivors
Deputy Schavolt is survived by his wife and four children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-568BD83F- 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 never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Deputy Sheriff Schavolt gave the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office 12 years.
Thank you for your service to the West Palm Beach community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Schavolt.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Donald Lee Schavolt is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In FL, 62 of 1,008 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 6.2% of this state's fallen. That is 2.2 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 23 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 4.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Donald Lee Schavolt's cause is highlighted.
How Donald Lee Schavolt Compares
Offender Outcome
Charged with assault
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. Donald Lee Schavolt is highlighted in Mar.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
22 officers from Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
