Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Ricky Yates was killed when his motorcycle was struck head-on by a pickup truck that was passing other traffic on a foggy night. He was thrown from his motorcycle and killed instantly in front of 21868 FM 2090 in Splendora. The pickup driver that struck him was sentenced to 10 years probation. Deputy Yates had served with the Harris County Sheriff's Office for nine years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, two daughters, a son, and six grandchildren.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-8D9D886B- 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 Yates gave the Harris County Sheriff's Office 9 years.
Thank you for your service to the Houston community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Yates.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Ricky A. Yates 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 TX, 653 of 2,421 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 27% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 31%.
At Harris County Sheriff's Office, 20 of 56 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 35.7% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ricky A. Yates's cause is highlighted.
How Ricky A. Yates Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Ricky A. Yates is highlighted in Jan.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
55 officers from Harris County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.
