Roll of Honor
Joel Lathem "Sonny" Harper
Incident
Wildlife Officer Sonny Harper drowned after falling from his boat near the dam in Lake Miccosukee.
He was approximately 40 feet from the Jefferson County shore when his motor stopped when some grass became stuck in the prop. He was leaning over the boat in an attempt to remove the grass when he fell overboard. The boat started to drift away and he attempted to swim to shore but he became distressed and went under.
Several boaters who witnessed the incident attempted to rescue him but were unable to locate him. His body was recovered in 8-12 feet of water approximately two hours later.
Officer Harper was a U.S. Army veteran and Purple Heart recipient of the Korean War. He had served with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission for 10 months.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, daughter, parents, and sister.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-FL-8706BD53- 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.
Wildlife Officer Harper served with the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Thank you for your service to the Tallahassee community. Thank you 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
Joel Lathem "Sonny" Harper served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Wildlife Officer Joel Lathem "Sonny" Harper 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 Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission, 10 of 15 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Joel Lathem "Sonny" Harper's cause is highlighted.
How Joel Lathem "Sonny" Harper Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Joel Lathem "Sonny" Harper is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
14 officers from Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission are honored on badge.nw.
