Roll of Honor
Incident
Police Officer Charles Howley died one day after being exposed to refrigerant while searching a daycare center following reports of smoke in the building.
He had responded to the daycare center and began to search it to ensure all of the children and employees had exited the building. During the search, he was exposed to a refrigerant that was being released into the air. He sought medical treatment after beginning to feel ill. He suffered a fatal heart attack the following day.
Officer Howley had served with the Oldham County Police Department for 20 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-F16AE887- 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
20 years. You could have gone home.
Police Officer Howley gave the Oldham County Police Department 20 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the La Grange community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Police Officer Howley.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Police Officer Charles David Howley 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 KY, 161 of 983 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 16.4% of this state's fallen. That is 14.6 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles David Howley's cause is highlighted.
How Charles David Howley Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Charles David Howley is highlighted in May.