Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police George Benz and Juvenile Probation Officer August Utendorfer were killed in a vehicle crash on Route 17 in Nicholson, Kenton County.
They had just transported a juvenile inmate to the Greendale House of Reform, in Lexington, and were returning to Campbell County when the crash occurred. The vehicle skidded off of the shoulder of the highway. As Chief Benz tried to regain control of the vehicle it skidded into oncoming traffic and collided with a milk truck. Chief Benz was killed instantly. Probation Officer Utendorfer died approximately 30 minutes later.
Chief Benz had served with the Campbell County Police Department for almost 11 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and three sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-EC5575A0- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Chief of Police Benz gave the Campbell County Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Alexandria community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Benz.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police George Thomas Benz is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,756 officers honored here.
In KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 16.4 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Campbell County Police Department, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George Thomas Benz's cause is highlighted.
How George Thomas Benz Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. George Thomas Benz is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Campbell County Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
