[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 4726-4727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN TRIBUTE TO OUR FALLEN HERO: SHERIFF SAM CATRON OF PULASKI COUNTY, 
                                KENTUCKY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 16, 2002

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, a dedicated public servant and a 
soldier on the front lines of the fight against evil has been

[[Page 4727]]

struck down--taken from us in a senseless but premeditated act of 
political assassination in my home county this past weekend.
  Sheriff Sam Catron of Pulaski County, Kentucky, was shot and killed 
Saturday, April 13, by a cowardly assassin who fired a high-powered 
rifle from a camouflaged vantagepoint estimated to be some 100 yards 
away. He was killed instantly and fell just steps from friends, family 
and his elderly mother, Jennie Rachel Catron, who had accompanied him 
to an outdoor candidates-night gathering and fish fry at a rural 
volunteer fire station.
  By Monday, very efficient and capable state and local investigators 
had arrested the alleged assassin and two alleged conspirators, 
including one of the sheriff's opponents in his race for reelection.
  A particularly cruel irony is that the Sheriff's father was gunned 
down by an assassin in similar fashion as Somerset (county seat of 
Pulaski County) Chief of Police 38 years ago. Both shootings were in 
the presence of the Sheriff's mother and the Chief's wife.
  Pulaski County Sheriff Sam Catron won election on his first attempt 
for the office in 1984. He had previously served as chief of police in 
Ferguson, Kentucky, and as a deputy sheriff in Pulaski County. He was a 
member of the City of Somerset-Pulaski County Rescue Squad, an Eagle 
Scout and a Kentucky Colonel. Ray Stoess, the former executive director 
of the Kentucky Sheriff's Association, says Sheriff Catron was perhaps 
the best Kentucky sheriff of the last 30 years. A former Sheriff of the 
Year in Kentucky, he was considered one of the hardest-working law 
officers in the state, often staying on the road until the early 
morning hours answering calls from citizens and investigating crimes.
  A licensed pilot, Sheriff Catron performed his own helicopter 
searches for marijuana, helped other departments track suspects with 
the use of his police dog and he was even known to keep firefighting 
equipment in his vehicle so he could lend a hand in any kind of 
emergency. Sheriff Catron had recently cooperated with John Walsh of 
the TV program America's Most Wanted in an effort to track down a man 
wanted by police in Eastern Kentucky. Ironically, that episode of the 
program premiered on national television this past Saturday night, less 
than two hours after Sheriff Catron was gunned down.
  Sheriff Catron loved being the chief law enforcement official of our 
county. He was a very capable lawman. But he also performed thousands 
of kindnesses to the people he dearly loved. As such, Sheriff Sam 
Catron is an example of a law officer who lived to serve the people he 
represented. He worked tirelessly for the citizens of Pulaski County, 
who today have a heavy heart, yet they are now relying on their deep 
wellspring of faith, their abiding sense of community, their loving 
families and their inner strength.
  The people are trying to heal in many ways, including the spontaneous 
display of brown and yellow ribbons--colors worn by the members of the 
Pulaski County Sheriff's Office who put their lives on the line each 
and every day.
  But among the outpouring of heartfelt tributes, memorials and 
flowers, perhaps a hand lettered, red-white-and-blue sign spotted in 
the Pulaski County town of Ferguson said it best:
  ``Goodbye Sammy. We will miss you, our friend.''

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