Roll of Honor
Incident
Town Constable George Rutherford was shot and killed when he encountered three moonshining suspects while attempting to serve a warrant on a man for wife desertion.
Constable Rutherford parked at the edge of the woods to walk to the man's shack at Mermaid Lake, leaving his wife in his car. He was shot when he encountered the three men. His wife immediately went back to town and reported the incident.
A sheriff's posse was organized and immediately went to the scene. The posse located two suspects at a still and attempted to arrest them. In the ensuing shootout, both suspects were killed. A third suspect was shot and killed a short time later. Four members of the sheriff's posse were wounded during the shootouts.
It was later determined that one of the men was wanted for the murder of Deputy Constable Roby Scott of the Floyd County Constable's Office, Kentucky. Deputy Constable Scott was murdered in the line of duty on February 13th, 1926.
Constable Rutherford was survived by his wife.
Survivors
Constable Rutherford was survived by his wife.
In Our Keeping
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BO-US-WI-EF4BB053- Stewardship
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- 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.
Town Constable Rutherford served with the Winegar Constable's Office.
Thank you for your service to the Presque Isle community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Town Constable Rutherford.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Town Constable George Rutherford is one of 17,623 officers killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 54.2% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In WI, 159 of 317 officers were killed feloniously — deliberately targeted and murdered in the line of duty — 50.2% of this state's fallen. That is 4 percentage points below the national rate of 54.2%.
National Cause Distribution
How Felonious compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. George Rutherford's cause is highlighted.
How George Rutherford Compares
Offender Outcome
Shot and killed
When Felonious Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Felonious deaths across the full memorial record. George Rutherford is highlighted in Aug.
Weapons Used Against Officers
Most common weapons in felonious officer deaths. George Rutherford was killed by gun; unknown type.