Assistant Chief Robert Henry Potter

Robert Henry Potter

Assistant Chief Bob Potter was shot and killed by three burglary suspects around 1:30 a.m.

Chief Potter observed three men inside the Waynes Hillcrest Restaurant. When he approached the building and broke the window, he fired two shots into the air and ordered the men to drop their guns. One suspect exited the rear of the cafe and snuck up behind Chief Potter and shot him.

All three suspects, 20, 28, and 31, were arrested. They had escaped from the Madison County, Indiana, Jail six days earlier. All three were convicted of murder and sentenced to life. Two died in prison, one on September 13, 1986, and the other on January 3, 1987.

Chief Potter was a United States Army WWII veteran. He had served with the Tulia Police Department for eight months and previously served with the Swisher County Sheriff's Office for four years. He was survived by his wife, daughter, and two sons.