Incident
Deputy Sheriff Dennis McElderry was struck and killed by a patrol car after deploying stop sticks during a high-speed pursuit on U.S. Highway 63 just north of Bloomfield, Iowa, shortly before midnight.
The suspect, who was being chased, later turned himself in and was charged with vehicular manslaughter. The suspect was convicted of charges related to Deputy McElderry's death and was sentenced to 12 years in jail.
Deputy McElderry had served with the Davis County Sheriff's Department for four years.
Survivors
He is survived by his three children, fiancee, parents, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IA-D67BD986- 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 McElderry gave the Davis County Sheriff's Department 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Bloomfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff McElderry.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Dennis Ray McElderry 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 IA, 71 of 226 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.4 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dennis Ray McElderry's cause is highlighted.
How Dennis Ray McElderry Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to 12 years
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dennis Ray McElderry is highlighted in Jan.