Roll of Honor
Incident
Corporal Virgle Knight, Special Deputy Ronald Terwilliger, and Sergeant Gerald Chirrick were killed in a helicopter crash while conducting a marijuana eradication operation. The helicopter crashed after striking power lines as it took off from the parking area of the Canton Creek Campground in the Umppqua National Forest. Corporal Knight had served with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office for seven years.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, parents, and siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-OR-FEB4E6F7- 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.
Corporal Knight gave the Douglas County Sheriff's Office 7 years.
Thank you for your service to the Roseburg community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Corporal Knight.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Corporal Virgle Dewey Knight, Jr. 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 OR, 66 of 197 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 33.5% of this state's fallen. That is 2.5 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Douglas County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 5 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 60% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Virgle Dewey Knight, Jr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Virgle Dewey Knight, Jr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Virgle Dewey Knight, Jr. is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
4 officers from Douglas County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
