On October 12, 1928, a rainy Friday morning, Officer W. L. Evans, a ten month member of the Force, and officer LeRoy Darst, with less than a week in police work, were driving South on Main Street approaching Crest Street en route to a reported traffic accident. The first rain of the season made driving treacherous, and as Officer Evans applied the brakes, the police car swerved across the street and collided with an oncoming car. Officer Darst was knocked unconscious and died from a skull fracture a short time later. LeRoy who was 43 years old, was survived by his wife, Helen.