Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Robert Thompson and State Constable Hoss Wiggins were killed in a vehicle crash on Buncombe Road (modern-day Old Buncombe Road) three miles south of Travelers Rest.
They were assisting a special agent with the Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, who had requested their assistance with seizing a vehicle that was illegally transporting alcohol. The driver of the vehicle had fled after crashing the vehicle when officers attempted to stop it. A mechanic was called to the scene to repair the vehicle before Deputy Thompson and Constable Wiggins began driving it back to Greenville.
As they entered a curve in the wet roadway the car struck a bump and crossed into the oncoming traffic. The vehicle collided with a truck and was demolished. Deputy Thompson died one hour later, and Constable Wiggins died the following night.
Deputy Thompson had served with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office for three years.
rest in peace
rutherford county sheriffs dept citizen November 29th, 2020
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SC-CD162969- 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 Thompson served with the Greenville County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Greenville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Thompson.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Robert Earle Thompson 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 Greenville County Sheriff's Office, 3 of 17 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 17.6% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Earle Thompson's cause is highlighted.
How Robert Earle Thompson Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Earle Thompson is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
16 officers from Greenville County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
