Deputy Sheriff Homer Teaff

Homer Teaff

Deputy Sheriff Homer Teaff was shot and killed while he and another deputy arrested a man on a larceny warrant. As Deputy Teaff handcuffed the man, the man grabbed the deputy's service weapon and shot him twice.

The suspect and his wife buried Deputy Teaff on a nearby swamp. They surrendered to officers one week later on Brushey Mountain. Both were charged with murder. The man was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life. His wife was acquitted. In 1925 the man, who was 62, was granted a new trial. He was again convicted of murder but only sentenced to four years with credit for the time he had served. The judge took into consideration that the man was in very poor health with not long to live.

Deputy Teaff was survived by his wife, child, and two brothers. Both brothers served with the Springfield, Missouri, Police Departmetn.