Roll of Honor
Rudolph Virchow Phelps
Incident
Special Deputy Sheriff Rudolph Phelps was killed in a vehicle crash on Route 71 (modern-day Route 231) two miles south of Morgantown.
He was traveling with another sheriff's deputy and the former county sheriff from Margontown to Leetown to conduct a tax-sale. The former sheriff attempted to pass a large truck but was crowded off the road and entered a ditch. Special Deputy Sheriff Phelps suffered a broken back and died two hours later. The other deputy and the former sheriff were both injured.
Special Deputy Sheriff Phelps was survived by his wife and three young children.
Survivors
Special Deputy Sheriff Phelps was survived by his wife and three young children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-KY-FFA66266- 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.
Special Deputy Sheriff Phelps served with the Butler County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Morgantown community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Special Deputy Sheriff Phelps.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Special Deputy Sheriff Rudolph Virchow Phelps 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. Rudolph Virchow Phelps's cause is highlighted.
How Rudolph Virchow Phelps Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Rudolph Virchow Phelps is highlighted in Feb.