Sheriff Harold Ray Presley, Lee County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi

Sheriff Harold Ray Presley

Lee County Sheriff's Department, Mississippi

End of Watch Friday, July 6, 2001

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Harold Ray Presley

Sheriff Harold Presley was shot and killed by a kidnapping suspect who had fled from police earlier in the night.

The suspect had fled the scene of a roadblock and exchanged shots with pursuing officers. He managed to elude officers during a foot chase after crashing his vehicle. Later in the evening, Sheriff Presley received a call from a homeowner whose dogs were barking.

When he arrived on the scene at approximately 4:15 a.m., he and the homeowner went to a shed on the property. When Sheriff Presley opened the door, the suspect inside immediately opened fire, striking Sheriff Presley several times. Although mortally wounded, Sheriff Presley was able to return fire and kill the suspect as well.

The kidnapping victim died of her injuries.

Sheriff Presley was a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War who had served with the Lee County Sheriff's Department for 13 years and had been the sheriff for eight years. Sheriff Presley's cousin was Elvis Presley. He was survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, and his mother.

Bio

Age 53
Tour 13 years
Badge Not available
Military Veteran

Incident Details

Cause Gunfire
Weapon Gun; Unknown type
Offender Shot and killed

kidnapping, sex offense

LODD Mapping FAQs

Most Recent Reflection

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Heavenly Father, I come before You today grieved in heart over the divisions in our country; the United States of America. I grieve for every life lost to violence, regardless of color or creed. And I especially grieve this day over the senseless deaths of America’s Peace Officers whose sworn duty is to protect us from harm. Please grant comfort and hope to their families. I know from the Holy Scriptures in Romans 13 that Peace Officers have a sacred task, to enforce laws that protect the innocent and punish the guilty. I pray that You will protect them as they serve us. Give them wisdom, discernment, and a deep desire to serve You. Please surround every Peace Officer in our nation, the United States of America, with battalions of warring angels to protect them from harm. I stand in the powerful and mighty name of the Lord Jesus Christ against every work of Satan intended to inflict injury and death on our Protectors. May Satan’s power be thwarted, in Your mighty and holy name, and his plans exposed by Your Light. In the mighty and holy name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer, and the Mediator between us, Heavenly Father, in prayer, and by His authority, I pray! Amen.

Please find Encouragement, Comfort, Support, and Hope from God's Word:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
[Matthew 5:9 ESV];

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." [Psalm 23:4 ESV];

"Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends."
[John 15:13 ESV];

"Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." [Matthew 5:4 ESV];

"And he [Jesus] said to him, "Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." [Luke 23:43 ESV], and;

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." [John 3:16 ESV].

Chaplain Steven R. Closs, DDiv, MSBS, NCCA, NACM
Ordained/Licensed Independent WCM Clergy (06/01/2020)
The Steven R. Closs Ministries - Chartered by WCM No. 31528
Member: Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers - USA
Member: National Association of Christian Ministers (NACM)