In the line of duty, Deputy Sheriff Bert C. Johnson, a 30-year-old male, met a tragic and untimely end on Tuesday, November 23, 1926. As a dedicated member of the Pickens County Sheriff's Department, Deputy Johnson was attempting to serve a warrant in his community. The warrant was for a suspect wanted on kidnapping charges in the neighboring state of Mississippi. Alongside the county sheriff, Deputy Johnson arrived at a residence where the suspect was believed to be hiding.
Upon their arrival, they were informed that the suspect was not present. However, Deputy Johnson proceeded to search the residence. As he opened a door within the home, the suspect, who had been concealed inside, fired a gun, fatally wounding the deputy. The shooter immediately fled the scene, managing to evade capture for a number of years. In the aftermath of the shooting, Deputy Johnson was survived by his wife and two children.
For six years, the suspect remained at large. His freedom came to an end when he was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, on an unrelated assault charge. For that crime, he was sentenced to serve three and a half years on a chain gang. It was during his time on the chain gang that authorities were able to identify him as the murderer of Deputy Johnson through his fingerprints. Following this discovery, he was returned to Pickens County to face justice for the killing of the deputy. He was subsequently convicted of Deputy Johnson's murder and sentenced to death. On August 7, 1936, nearly a decade after he took the life of Deputy Johnson, the convicted murderer was executed for his crime.
