Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff John Kormelink was killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection of State Road 54 and State Route 67 in Switz City.
He and another deputy were transporting three prisoners to the state penal farm in Putnamville and the state boy's school in Plainfield. Their patrol car collided with a bus, killing Deputy Kormelink and seriously injuring his partner, one of the prisoners, and the bus driver.
Deputy Kormelink was survived by his wife, daughter, son, father, and two brothers.
Survivors
Deputy Kormelink was survived by his wife, daughter, son, father, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-IN-A43CDE69- 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 Kormelink served with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Evansville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Kormelink.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John Earl Kormelink 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 IN, 151 of 503 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30% of this state's fallen. That is 1 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Earl Kormelink's cause is highlighted.
How John Earl Kormelink Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Earl Kormelink is highlighted in May.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
