Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff John Branson succumbed to injuries sustained two days earlier when he was thrown from a horse-drawn buggy.
He and another deputy were transporting a prisoner from Adair to the jail in Pryor Creek. During the ride, about one mile north of Prior Creek, the horse was spooked and bolted. Both deputies were thrown from the buggy, and Deputy Branson sustained a serious head injury.
The prisoner hailed another buggy and transported both deputies to Prior Creek for medical attention and turned himself in to the Prior Creek Chief of Police.
The other deputy survived his injuries. Deputy Branson remained unconscious until his death two days later.
Deputy Branson had just been appointed as a deputy of the Mayes County Sheriff's Office.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife and two children.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OK-FCFC4C7D- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Branson served with the Mayes County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Pryor community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Branson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff John Branson 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 OK, 135 of 582 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 23.2% of this state's fallen. That is 7.8 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Mayes County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 3 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 66.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. John Branson's cause is highlighted.
How John Branson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. John Branson is highlighted in Aug.
Others Who Wore This Badge
2 officers from Mayes County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
