On the evening of February 26, 1996, a dedicated public servant, Sergeant Charles B. 'Charlie' Kubala Sr., responded to a call that would tragically be his last. The 32-year-old male officer with the Sumter County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to investigate a report of a suspicious person, a routine call that quickly escalated into a fatal encounter.
A veteran of the department, he was known for his commitment to the community and his role as a mentor to young people in the Sheriff's Office Explorer program.
Upon arriving at the scene, Sergeant Kubala confronted the subject of the call. During this interaction, the individual, later identified as Bobby Wayne Stone, produced a. 22 caliber handgun and fired at the officer. Sergeant Kubala was struck once in the ear and once in the shoulder, sustaining injuries that proved to be immediately fatal. The assailant fled the scene, leaving the fallen officer behind.
A swift and intensive search was launched for the person responsible for the sergeant's death. The efforts of law enforcement led them to a nearby wooded area where they located the suspect hiding. He was taken into custody without further incident and was found to be in possession of the handgun used in the shooting.
Following his arrest, Bobby Wayne Stone was charged with the murder of Sergeant Charles Kubala. The case proceeded to trial, where a jury found him guilty of the capital offense. In January of 1997, the judicial process concluded with Stone being sentenced to death for the murder of the Sumter County lawman. For years, Stone remained on death row as his case went through the appeals process. Though an execution was scheduled for December 2017, it was ultimately delayed due to the state's inability to procure the necessary drugs for lethal injection.
