Roll of Honor
Incident
Chief of Police Earl Rimmer was killed in an automobile accident on the Wilksboro Road, approximately 16 miles north of Statesville, at about 10:30 pm.
He was returning to Mooresville after having conducted official business. The vehicle ran off the road, possibly due to a flat tire, and overturned several times. Chief Rimmer was killed and his passenger was injured.
Chief Rimmer had served with the Mooresville Police Department for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, three children, and mother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-F8CA096D- 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.
Chief of Police Rimmer gave the Mooresville Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Mooresville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Chief of Police Rimmer.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Chief of Police James Earl Rimmer 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 Mooresville Police Department, 1 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.3% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James Earl Rimmer's cause is highlighted.
How James Earl Rimmer Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James Earl Rimmer is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Mooresville Police Department are honored on badge.nw.
