Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Dale Holcomb and Trooper Joshua Risner were killed in a vehicle crash near the intersection of Jackson Pike and Mitchell Road in Gallia when their patrol car went out of control on the rain-slicked road and collided with another vehicle.
Sergeant Holcomb had just been picked up from home to begin his shift by Trooper Risner, who was ending his shift. It is believed that the troopers heard a call from a third trooper, who was transporting his unconscious infant son to a nearby hospital and were responding to the area to assist him. The patrol car went out of control on the rain-slicked road and collided with a vehicle driving in the opposite direction. The driver of the other car was also killed.
Sergeant Holcomb had served with the Ohio Highway Patrol for 21 years and was assigned to the Gallipolis Patrol Post.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-0E0C166A- 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
21 years. You could have gone home.
Sergeant Holcomb gave the Ohio State Highway Patrol 21 years. Still answering calls at the end.
Thank you for your service to the people of Ohio. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Sergeant Holcomb.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Sergeant Dale Rodney Holcomb 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 OH, 318 of 991 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.1% of this state's fallen. That is 1.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Ohio State Highway Patrol, 33 of 42 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 78.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Dale Rodney Holcomb's cause is highlighted.
How Dale Rodney Holcomb Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Dale Rodney Holcomb is highlighted in Sep.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
41 officers from Ohio State Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
