Roll of Honor
Incident
Sergeant Jessie Benton and Detective James Tindal were killed in an automobile accident near Holly Hill, South Carolina, while returning to Charleston to assist at the Charleston Tidewater Terminal fire. The two officers, along with their wives, had been in Charlotte, North Carolina, to represent the Charleston Police Department in a pistol competition. All members of the department were ordered to return to Charleston to assist at the scene of the fire. The wives of both officers were also killed in the accident. Policeman Lawrence Aytes had been killed in the fire while attempting to rescue a citizen. Sergeant Benton was a U.S. Army veteran of WWII and had served with the Charleston Police Department for 10 years.
Survivors
He was survived by one son.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-C6B790E8- 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 served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Sergeant Benton gave the Charleston Police Department 10 years.
Thank you for your service to the Charleston community, and for your service before it. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Military Service
Jessie C. Benton served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.
Sergeant Jessie C. Benton 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 SC, 137 of 438 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.3% of this state's fallen. That is 0.3 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Charleston Police Dept., 10 of 24 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 41.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Jessie C. Benton's cause is highlighted.
How Jessie C. Benton Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Jessie C. Benton is highlighted in Jun.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
23 officers from Charleston Police Dept. are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
