Tulsa Police, Rogers County Deputies Return Items Stolen From Fallen Officer

Tulsa Police and Rogers County Deputies work together to return a fallen deputy’s belongings back to his family.

The items were packed away in the family’s trailer. The family says almost everything they owned was in the trailer so they had several locks on it. When it was stolen, they say they were devastated because it had so many things, they could never replace.

Deputy Roger Rice was killed in the line of duty in 2011 in Laurens County, South Carolina.

“He left behind a wife and two children,” said Theft victim Tracy Benton.

Deputy Rice was Tracy’s brother. When Tracy and her husband started packing up their trailer for their trip to Tulsa for a temporary construction project, Tracy packed pictures of Roger.

“Picture of him in his uniform. The necklace we had got the Christmas after his death with his badge number, photos that a guy back home drew for each of us,” said Benton.

The trailer had everything they owned and so many special memories.

“Memories back when our kids were little, their Christmas dresses,” said Benton.

Someone stole the trailer around the first of February. Tulsa Police tracked it to an address in Rogers County and Deputies there stepped in to help. Lieutenant Kyle Baker says they found the stolen trailer and a stolen car at the property but no one answered the door. Investigators went back again the next night and say they found another stolen car.

They say they are still looking for the person who owns the property.

“I mean, it is our brothers and sisters in law enforcement. We want to help as much as we can, as any other case, but this one especially, to make sure that those family members got back what belonged to them,” said Baker.

Tracy appreciates everyone’s effort to recover their trailer and her brother’s keepsakes.

“Thank you. They did a great job because, to be honest, we never even thought we would get it back, being how we were out of state,” said Benton.