Incident
Master Trooper James Montgomery died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Master Trooper Montgomery had served with the North Carolina Highway Patrol for 15 years and was assigned to Troop C District IV.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Master Trooper James Brent Montgomery died on March 15, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 50.
He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at North Carolina Highway Patrol.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his wife, daughter, two sons, parents, and two brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
NW-3GFQ-HG5V-Eearlier record number BO-US-NC-051BD36F- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
Honored here by 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Master Trooper Montgomery gave the North Carolina Highway Patrol 15 years.
Thank you for your service to the people of North Carolina. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Master Trooper Montgomery.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Illness
North Carolina Highway Patrol has lost 69 officers; 2 of them lost to illness.
James is one of 37 officers lost to illness in NC, 5.6% of the 664 remembered there.
James is one of 2,026 officers lost to illness in the United States, 7.4% of the 27,543 remembered there.
James is one of 2,978 officers lost to illness worldwide, 8.8% of the 33,910 remembered here.
33,910 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2021, 19 officers in NC were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 564 officers in the United States were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
In 2021, 566 officers worldwide were lost to illness, more than in any other year.
Who
James was 50. Of the 37 lost to illness in NC whose age is recorded, half were between 41 and 57; the middle age was 50. James had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 16 years.
James was 50. Of the 1,994 lost to illness in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 42 and 58; the middle age was 51. James had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
James was 50. Of the 2,915 lost to illness worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 39 and 56; the middle age was 49. James had served 15 years; the middle length of service was 20 years.
When
March holds 8.1% of these deaths in NC; October holds the most, 29.7%. Mondays: 27%.
March holds 5.8% of these deaths in the United States; October holds the most, 15%. Mondays: 14.3%.
March holds 6.2% of these deaths worldwide; October holds the most, 12.6%. Mondays: 14.6%.
How
Illness deaths account for 2.9% of all 69 deaths at North Carolina Highway Patrol, the 4th most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 5.6% of all 664 deaths in NC, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 7.4% of all 27,543 deaths in the United States, the 3rd most common cause.
Illness deaths account for 8.8% of all 33,910 deaths worldwide, the 3rd most common cause.
His people
North Carolina Highway Patrol has 69 officers remembered here, James among them.
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George Ira Thompson
Jul 2, 1929
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Alfonso Jerome Hedgpeth
Oct 23, 1931
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Albert Strong Boney
Nov 15, 1931
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Clarence LeGette Fidler
Mar 20, 1936
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Ralph W. Arnold
Sep 17, 1936
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Isaac Thomas Moore
Jun 18, 1937
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George Cabel Penn
Aug 22, 1937
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A. Brister Smart
Mar 2, 1939
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Henry Thomas Timberlake
Dec 1, 1939
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Thomas B. Whatley
Dec 29, 1947
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Weaver Howard Hogan
Mar 2, 1948
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Joseph Robert Davis
May 3, 1948
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Charles Elem Galloway
May 3, 1948
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Paul Winifred Smith
May 27, 1948
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Richard Warren Jackson
Sep 3, 1949
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Clyde Brown Avent
Dec 12, 1949
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James Thomas Brown
Nov 5, 1957
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Wister Lee Reece
Nov 5, 1957
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Harry Thomas Long
Dec 18, 1959
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David Baxter Searcy
Oct 15, 1960
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Henry Alton Hight, Jr.
May 31, 1962
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Leslie Eugene Pace
Jan 24, 1963
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William Thomas Herbin
Aug 31, 1964
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James Hugh Marshburn
Sep 19, 1964
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John William Wallin
Apr 1, 1966
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Cecil Hartwell Hoffman
Mar 15, 1968
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Paul Johnson Williams
Nov 8, 1970
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Clyde Stephen Perry
Jul 2, 1972
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Joseph Griffin Wright
Sep 27, 1972
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Larry Thomas Walton
Dec 2, 1972
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Robert Randall East
Dec 21, 1972
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Leonard Meeks, Jr.
Dec 25, 1972
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William James Smith, Jr.
Jan 12, 1974
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John Scott Hackett, Jr.
Jun 19, 1974
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James Alvin Parker
Jun 19, 1974
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Jack Daniel Templeton
Sep 30, 1974
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William Dean Arledge
Oct 5, 1974
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Lawrence Canipe, Jr.
Oct 5, 1974
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Guy Thomas Davis, Jr.
Sep 2, 1975
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Hugh Richard Griffin, Sr.
Sep 14, 1975
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Robert Lee Peterson
May 31, 1979
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Giles Arthur Harmon
Apr 9, 1985
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Raymond Earl Worley
May 14, 1985
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Bobby Lee Coggins
Sep 14, 1985
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William Edward Bayless, III
Feb 5, 1988
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Michael Louis Martin
Jul 22, 1988
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Damion Cortez Roberts
Aug 8, 1996
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Lloyd Edward Lowry
Sep 23, 1997
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William Joseph Starling
Jul 20, 1998
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David Harold Dees
Apr 4, 1999
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William Bryant Davis
Oct 21, 1999
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John Henry Duncan, Jr.
Jan 9, 2001
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Calvin Eugene Taylor
Oct 3, 2001
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Anthony Greg Cogdill
May 30, 2003
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Joseph Wynford Oliver
Mar 24, 2004
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David Shawn Blanton, Jr.
Jun 17, 2008
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Andrew James Stocks
Sep 9, 2008
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Kyle Patrick Barber
May 19, 2009
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Bobby Gene Demuth, Jr.
Sep 8, 2012
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Brandon Carroll Peterson
Apr 7, 2017
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Samuel Newton Bullard
May 21, 2018
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Kevin Keith Conner
Oct 17, 2018
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Benjamin Derek Wallace
Nov 2, 2018
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Nolan James Sanders
Mar 27, 2020
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Timothy Lee Howell
Jan 7, 2021
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James Brent Montgomery
Mar 15, 2021
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John Sumter Horton
Jan 3, 2022
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Stien Davis, Jr.
Feb 22, 2026
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Steven J. Perry
Mar 1, 2026
Where
Where the Name Is Cut
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial · Panel 46-W
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
Others Who Wore This Badge
68 officers from North Carolina Highway Patrol are honored on badge.nw. Showing the 16 most recent.















