Former Pueblo County sheriffs’ names to be added to national memorial
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Two former Pueblo County sheriffs will have their names added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. as historical line-of-duty deaths. That's according to a release Thursday from the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.
Former Sheriff Joe E. Tucker died in 1950 after his private plane went down in poor weather over Nebraska. Tucker had agreed to personally fly a woman home to Minnesota after her husband was found guilty in Pueblo of burglary and sentenced to prison.
Tucker was 38 years old. He was survived by his wife, Ethel, and buried at Roselawn Cemetery.
Tucker's name will be unveiled May 13 at the memorial with another former Pueblo County sheriff, John Mckee. McKee died of a head injury in 1918 after being kicked while apprehending a suspect.
“When we realized that Sheriff McKee and Sheriff Tucker had never been recognized for their line of duty deaths, we made a commitment to ensure that they both are appropriately and respectfully honored,” said Sheriff Kirk M. Taylor. “It’s never too late to honor someone who
provided service to our community and died in the line of duty.”
The National Memorial dedication is scheduled to be part of National Police Week, May 10 - 16, said the sheriff's office.
Tucker and McKee will be the fourth and fifth law enforcement officers from the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office to have their names on the memorial. The other names are Deputy W.W. Green, added in 2012; Captain Leide DeFusco, added in 2013; and Inspector Warren Watts in 2016.
