Roll of Honor
Incident
Trooper David Dees was killed in a traffic crash on Trinkaloe Road as he was attempting an enforcement action and lost control of his unmarked vehicle.
The vehicle went into a 10-foot-deep ditch, overturned, and he was knocked unconscious. He was found by several deputies and was transported to a local hospital, where he later died before regaining consciousness. His patrol car was found with the emergency lights activated, but he had made no radio contact with dispatch before the crash.
Trooper Dees had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for three years.
The bridge on I-40, at the Duplin County line, was renamed in Trooper Dees' memory in 2003.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two sons and daughter.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-55DF9D39- 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.
Trooper Dees gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Trooper Dees.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Trooper David Harold Dees 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 NC, 205 of 664 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 30.9% of this state's fallen.
At North Carolina Highway Patrol, 41 of 69 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 59.4% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. David Harold Dees's cause is highlighted.
How David Harold Dees Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. David Harold Dees is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from North Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
