Roll of Honor
James O. Rondeau
Incident
Assistant Forest Warden James Rondeau and District Forest Warden Roscoe Rickey were killed in a vehicle crash at the intersection of Highway 21A (modern-day Route 305) and Bond Road in Kitsap County.
They were patrolling the area for people illegally harvesting Christmas trees from state forest lands. Forest Warden Rickey's vision was obscured by an oncoming vehicle on Bond Road as both entered the intersection to cross over Highway 21A. A vehicle traveling on the highway struck the forestry truck, causing it to leave the roadway and into a culvert. Forest Warden Rickey and Assistant Forest Warden Rondeau were both ejected from the vehicle into Harding Creek.
Six teenagers in the other car were injured.
Assistant Forest Warden Rondeau had served with the Washington Department of Natural Resources for 18 months. He had previously served with the Bremerton Police Department for 10 years and the Washington State Patrol.
Survivors
He was survived by his wife, son, three grandchildren, and two sisters.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WA-A09F613C- 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.
Assistant Forest Warden Rondeau gave the Washington Department of Natural Resources Police 11 years.
Thank you for your service to the Olympia community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Assistant Forest Warden Rondeau.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Assistant Forest Warden James O. Rondeau 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 WA, 111 of 339 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 32.7% of this state's fallen. That is 1.7 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Washington Department of Natural Resources Police, 2 of 2 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 100% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. James O. Rondeau's cause is highlighted.
How James O. Rondeau Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. James O. Rondeau is highlighted in Dec.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Washington Department of Natural Resources Police are honored on badge.nw.
