Roll of Honor
Incident
Undersheriff Ed O'Donnell was killed in an airplane crash while participating in a search for several suspects in Powder River County. The 65-horsepower Piper Cub crashed near Biddle while assisting a posse on the ground searching for two suspects who had run into the hills after fleeing from a roadblock. The civilian pilot was also killed in the crash. Undersheriff O'Donnell had served with the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office for eight years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, three sisters, and seven brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-MT-657AD900- 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.
Undersheriff O'Donnell gave the Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office 8 years.
Thank you for your service to the Billings community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Undersheriff O'Donnell.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Undersheriff Ed O'Donnell 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 MT, 34 of 142 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.9% of this state's fallen. That is 23.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.
At Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 6 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ed O'Donnell's cause is highlighted.
How Ed O'Donnell Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ed O'Donnell is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
5 officers from Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
