Deputy Sheriff Joseph Obie Talley

Joseph Obie Talley

Deputy Sheriff Joseph Talley succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained two years earlier when he was shot after responding to a disturbance at a local bar.

Deputy Talley instructed the subject causing the disturbance to leave. As the man did so he pulled out a handgun and shot Deputy Talley in the back. The round severed Deputy Talley's spinal cord, causing him to become paralyzed. He died as a result of his injuries two years later.

Deputy Talley had served with the Newton County Sheriff's Department for only five months. He was survived by his wife and three children.