Roll of Honor
Charles B. Lauderbaugh
Incident
Guard Lauderbaugh was shot and killed when he interrupted an escape attempt by two inmates at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio.
One of the inmates had obtained two revolvers that had been smuggled into the prison several months earlier. They had intentionally delayed their escape attempt until fall to take advantage of the guards staying indoors during the cold weather.
The two had gone to the hoe shop in an effort to obtain a ladder to be used to climb over the prison wall but were surprised to by Guard Lauderbaugh. Despite being held at gunpoint by the two inmates, Guard Lauderbaugh drew his revolver and opened fire, wounding one of the men. The other inmate opened fire, fatally wounding Guard Lauderbaugh.
The inmates then fled to another area of the prison but were subdued by other guards and taken into custody. Two inmates were charged with murder. One was serving a 15 year term and the other had been convicted of manslaughter two months earlier and was serving a 2 to 20 year term. Both were found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to life.
Guard Lauderbaugh had served as a prison guard for only six months. He had previously served with the Mount Vernon Police Department for four years. During his service as a policeman, he was shot and almost fatally wounded while attempting to arrest a burglary suspect. The suspect who shot him was serving his sentence in the penitentiary when Guard Lauderbaugh was killed, but he was not involved with the escape attempt.
Guard Lauderbaugh was survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.
Survivors
Guard Lauderbaugh was survived by his wife, daughter, and three sons.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OH-C0E393DB- 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
128 years is a long time for a name to go unread. Not today.
Guard Lauderbaugh gave the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction 4 years.
Thank you for your service to the Columbus community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Guard Charles B. Lauderbaugh is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In OH, 572 of 991 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 57.7% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points above the national rate of 54.2%.
At Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, 18 of 26 officers on record were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 69.2% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Charles B. Lauderbaugh's cause is highlighted.
How Charles B. Lauderbaugh Compares
Offender Outcome
Sentenced to life
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. Charles B. Lauderbaugh is highlighted in Nov.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. Charles B. Lauderbaugh was killed by handgun; revolver.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
25 officers from Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
