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Sheriff's deputy honored 41 years after death
05/13/2008 10:22:39
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| McLean County Sheriff's Deputy "Doc" Lanham died in 1967 while trying to catch a speeding armed robber. |
A McLean County sheriff's deputy who died in a car chase 41 years ago is being memorialized today. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will hold a candlelight vigil in Washington D.C. tonight to dedicate the names of 352 officers who lost their lives while on duty, including Clarence "Doc" Lanham, who was killed in a crash on Route 9 near Arrowsmith in July of 1967. Lanham's granddaughter Stephanie Basar led the effort to have Lanham's name included among more than 18,000 fallen officers on the memorial wall.
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Basar says it took so long because there was no police memorial like this in 1967.
A coroner's jury ruled Lanham's death was avoidable because his heart failure was caused by him chasing a lawbreaker.
A former McLean County deputy coroner will also have named included on the memorial. Bill Belcher died in a car crash just north of Heyworth on Route 51 in September of 1997 while responding to a death investigation. His widow Lu Belcher will be attending the ceremony.
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