Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Sam Penrod reportingThe Utah Highway Patrol honored one of its own today by dedicating a roadside cross in memory of a trooper who was shot on the job in Springville nearly 40 years ago. It was a day to remember and honor a man who loved being a trooper with the highway patrol.
Over the roar of the freeway, a 21-gun salute could be heard in honor of Trooper Chuck Warren, who was critically injured in the line of duty in 1969.
A young man who had stolen a car shot him during a traffic stop. The incident ended Warren's career with the Utah Highway Patrol (UHP).
"He was very lucky to have survived the night. He was shot twice in the head, which is remarkable, and he did live for 24 to 25 years. However, I would point out his quality of life was very much diminished and he suffered and struggled," explained UHP Col. Lance Davenport.
Kathleen Warren married Chuck in 1979 after caring for him in the hospital. She says the UHP was always important to Chuck up to the day he died in 1994. "At his funeral, they said he had three loves: his church, his family and the highway patrol. Wrong! It was the highway patrol and then on down the line; the church and then the wife," she laughed.
Kathleen believes Chuck couldn't be prouder of this recognition. "To me, it is just like Chuck will always be alive, part of him, because it represents something," she said.
The UHP hopes the cross will remind motorists that troopers risk their lives to keep the public safe. "To us, this is not a religious symbol. This is a memorial for someone who paid the ultimate price with their own life in service to the people of Utah," Davenport said.
The UHP crosses were the subject of a federal lawsuit by a group of atheists who oppose them on public land. The judge has ruled the crosses can stay. However, that decision is now being appealed and is before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
