Kentucky State Police Post 4 in Elizabethtown will soon honor six fallen troopers.
On Monday, May 16 at 9:00 a.m., troopers from Post 4 will travel to the grave sites of their fallen brethren and place wreaths in honor of their ultimate sacrifice in service to the citizens of the commonwealth, KSP Post 4 spokesman Scotty Sharp said. The ceremonies are in coordination with National Police Memorial Week (May 11 through May 17).
The fallen troopers honored include:
Trooper Lee Trebu Huffman, 27, was struck and killed by an automobile May 19, 1953, while working a vehicle accident in Hardin County. He was assigned to Post 4 Elizabethtown and had served with Kentucky State Police for two years. He was survived by his wife and young son.
Trooper Huffman is buried at Zachary Taylor Cemetery in Louisville. In honor of his service and sacrifice, Hwy 218 in Metcalfe County has been designated the “Trooper Lee T. Huffman Memorial Highway.”
Trooper William F. Pickard, 26, was fatally shot on January 21, 1976, while attempting to serve an arrest warrant in LaRue County. Trooper Pickard had accompanied two Hodgenville police officers to the home of the suspect, who had been charged with assault and wanton menacing. As Trooper Pickard approached the front door, the door flew open and a shotgun blast was fired, fatally striking the trooper.
Trooper Pickard was assigned to Post 4 Elizabethtown and had served with Kentucky State Police for four years. He was survived by his wife and 13-month-old son.
Trooper Pickard is buried at Red Hill Cemetery in Hodgenville. In honor of his service and sacrifice, a five-mile stretch of Hwy 61 in LaRue County has been designated the “Trooper William F. Pickard Memorial Highway.”
Lt. Willis D. Martin, 44, died April 26, 1977, in a vehicle accident in Hardin County.
He was assigned to Post 4 Elizabethtown and was a 20-year veteran of Kentucky State Police.
He is buried at Hardin Memorial Gardens in Elizabethtown. In honor of his service and sacrifice, a six-mile stretch of Hwy 251 in Hardin County has been designated the “Lt. Willis Martin Memorial Highway.”
Trooper Edward R. Harris, 29, was fatally shot Nov. 7, 1979, during the course of a traffic violation stop. According to a witness, Trooper Harris was struck first by a shot fired from inside the suspect’s vehicle and again as he lay in the road.
Trooper Harris was assigned to Post 4 Elizabethtown and had served with Kentucky State Police for six-and-a-half years. He was survived by his wife and three young children.
He is buried at Red Hill Cemetery in Hodgenville. In honor of his service and sacrifice, Hwy 3005 in Hardin County has been designated the “Trooper Edward Harris Memorial Highway.”
Sergeant David R. Gibbs, 42, was traveling west on Hwy 210 near the Green/LaRue County line when he entered a rain soaked sharp curve. His marked KSP vehicle traveled into the oncoming lane where it was struck by another vehicle. Sgt. Gibbs was pronounced deceased at the scene on August 7, 2015. He was in route to provide an official escort to a funeral procession.
Sgt. Gibbs was assigned to Post 15 Columbia and had served Kentucky State Police for over 17 years. He was survived by his parents and a son.
Sgt Gibbs is buried in the Rineyville Memorial Cemetery in Hardin County.
Trooper Joseph ‘Cameron’ Ponder, 31, was fatally shot on September 13, 2015, while conducting a routine traffic stop on Interstate 24 in Lyon County.
Upon receiving his commission as a trooper, he was assigned to Post 1 in Mayfield where his death came only nine months into his career.
Trooper Ponder is buried at Kentucky Veteran’s Cemetery in Ft. Knox. Interstate 24 in Lyon County, from the Caldwell County line to its intersection with Kentucky Route 293, is designated as Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder Memorial Highway.
(Photo l-r: Trooper Cameron Ponder, Trooper Lee Trebu Huffman)
By Ken Howlett, News Director and KSP Post 4 spokesman Scotty Sharp
