On a Tuesday in May of 1985, the day started like any other for Morgan County Sheriff's Deputy Charles William 'Bill' Biles. At 64 years old, he was a seasoned officer patrolling the rural roads of the county. In the morning, he had run a check on a suspicious Ford Mustang. By the afternoon, the same vehicle was spotted again, this time near a local high school. Deputy Biles, ever vigilant, pulled the car over on Peck Hollow Road to investigate.
As he approached the driver's side of the Mustang, the occupant opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle, striking the deputy.
Though gravely wounded, Deputy Biles managed to return fire, his shot hitting the fleeing vehicle's gas tank. He radioed for assistance, reporting that he had been shot. The first to arrive on the scene found him lying in the road, still coherent but struggling to breathe. He was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Deputy Charles William Biles succumbed to his injuries two days later, on May 23, 1985.
The suspect's vehicle, disabled by the damaged gas tank, was found a few miles from the scene of the shooting. The driver, a former student of the nearby high school, was apprehended. Inside his vehicle, authorities discovered a cache of weapons and ammunition, leading to the belief that Deputy Biles may have thwarted a potential school shooting.
The suspect was charged with capital murder. At trial, he claimed the shooting was an accident that occurred during a struggle over the weapon. A jury found him guilty, and he was sentenced to life in prison. In 1989, the man who had taken Deputy Biles' life took his own, committing suicide in his jail cell.
