Roll of Honor
Incident
Officer John Sutton suffered a fatal heart attack shortly after attempting to break up a fight at Memorial Gymnasium in Orono during a dance. He had been assigned to a pep rally earlier in the evening and was working at the dance in preparation for a football game the following day. He intervened in a fight and was knocked down. He was able to break up the fight with the assistance of other officers. The officers then drove back to the police station in Old Town, where Officer Sutton collapsed. Officer Sutton was a United States Marine Corps Korean War veteran and served with the University of Maine Police Department for five years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-ME-12CA10A9- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Officer Sutton gave the University of Maine Police Department 5 years.
Thank you for your service to the Orono community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
John E. Sutton served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Officer John E. Sutton is one of 1,306 officers lost to cardiac events in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 4% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In ME, 16 of 102 officers were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 15.7% of this state's fallen. That is 11.7 percentage points above the national rate of 4%.
At University of Maine Police Department, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to cardiac events in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Cardiac compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John E. Sutton's cause is highlighted.
How John E. Sutton Compares
Offender Outcome
Not available
When Cardiac Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Cardiac deaths across the full memorial record. John E. Sutton is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from University of Maine Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
