Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Willard Hill was killed in an aircraft accident while he, the sheriff, and another deputy transported extradited an escaped prisoner from West Virginia back to Robertson County, Tennessee. The single-engine Cherokee-Archer four-seat passenger plane being piloted by the sheriff ran out of fuel and crashed at the edge of the Sherwood neighborhood at the runway at Causey Field in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Deputy Hill was killed and the other occupants and inmate were injured. Deputy Hill served as a part-time deputy with the Robertson County Sheriff's Office.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TN-D90F4914- 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 Hill served with the Robertson County Sheriff's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Springfield community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Hill.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Willard Pope Hill 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 Robertson County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Willard Pope Hill's cause is highlighted.
How Willard Pope Hill Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Willard Pope Hill is highlighted in Apr.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Robertson County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
