Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Michael Villiard was killed as he was responding to a call of a non-breathing person.
While traveling on Highway 70 near Radisson, he was attempting to avoid a head-on collision when he lost control of his cruiser, which then rolled several times, ejecting him. He was flown to a hospital in Duluth, Minnesota, where he died a short time later.
Deputy Villiard had served with the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office for 13 years.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, three children, mother, and siblings.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-WI-44A5300A- 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 Villiard gave the Sawyer County Sheriff's Office 13 years.
Thank you for your service to the Hayward community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Villiard.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Michael Stanley Villiard 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 WI, 124 of 317 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 39.1% of this state's fallen. That is 8.1 percentage points above the national rate of 31%.
At Sawyer County Sheriff's Office, 1 of 4 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. Michael Stanley Villiard's cause is highlighted.
How Michael Stanley Villiard Compares
When Accident Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Michael Stanley Villiard is highlighted in Jul.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
3 officers from Sawyer County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.
