End of Watch:
January 5, 1974
Age: 39
Cache County Sheriff’s Office
Accidental: Fall
Lieutenant James R. Merrill was killed in an accidental fall on Bullock Road, south of Smithfield.
Shortly after 9:00 p.m., a woman used the radio in Lieutenant James R. Merrill’s patrol car to call for an ambulance. Investigators later determined that Lieutenant Merrill had stopped his car and got out to talk to a friend. He slipped on the icy road and fell, striking his head on his vehicle. Despite medical attention, he died within a few minutes. Lieutenant Merrill was married and the father of four children. He is buried in Smithfield Cemetery.
The bronze memorial name plaque of Lieutenant James R. Merrill is sponsored by the Cache County Deputies Association.