Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Robert Bowlin succumbed to injuries sustained on November 11th, 2006, when he was struck by a vehicle on I-81.
He was investigating another vehicle crash when an oncoming pickup truck drove off the roadway and struck him. He was never able to fully recover from his injuries and he died as a direct result of complications on October 31st, 2016.
Deputy Bowlin had served with the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office for 19 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two sons, and two grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-1C4EBAAF- 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 Bowlin gave the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office 19 years.
Thank you for your service to the Blountville community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Bowlin.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Robert Bowlin, Sr. 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 TN, 191 of 769 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 24.8% of this state's fallen. That is 6.2 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Sullivan County Sheriff's Dept., 3 of 12 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 25% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Robert Bowlin, Sr.'s cause is highlighted.
How Robert Bowlin, Sr. Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Robert Bowlin, Sr. is highlighted in Oct.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
11 officers from Sullivan County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
