Officer Rank: Trooper
Memorial Panel: 5-E: 4
Department: Utah Highway Patrol
End of Watch: 11/07/1978
Cause: Gunfire
Age: 29
Length of Service: 4
Trooper Pierson was patrolling State Road 20 when he stopped a vehicle for a routine traffic stop. Unbeknownst to Trooper Pierson, the eighteen year old motorist was a fugitive from Illinois driving a vehicle he had stolen from Montana and in possession of a stolen .357 magnum revolver. As Trooper Pierson reached the driver?s window, the driver fired, striking Trooper Pierson in the heart. Trooper Pierson managed to fire six rounds as the felon sped away. The suspect was captured after a high speed chase a shoot-out with law enforcement. The suspect pled guilty to a first degree murder charge and received a life sentence.
