Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office » Officer Down Memorial

Deputy Donald Schavolt suffered a fatal heart attack after being kicked in the chest by a juvenile suspect during an arrest attempt.

He and three other deputies had responded to a noise complaint and found the suspect lying in the street when they arrived. The suspect violently resisted arrest and it took four deputies to restrain him.

Deputy Schavolt transported the suspect to a local medical center where he again resisted. Later, Deputy Schavolt went and sat down inside at the hospital and then collapsed. The suspect was charged as a juvenile with second degree murder, and resisting arrest with violence as a result of Deputy Schavolt’s death.

A autopsy determined that Deputy Schavolt’s heart attack did not directly result from being kicked in the chest. The suspect’s charges were reduced to felony battery, resisting arrest, and two counts of misdemeanor assault.

Deputy Schavolt is survived by his wife and four children.

Sergeant Hunt was shot and killed while attempting to stop an ATM robbery. While Sergeant Hunt was searching one of the suspects the other pulled out a handgun and shot him in the face twice, killing him instantly.

The suspect then tried to commit suicide but survived. He was found guilty of Sergeant Hunt’s murder and sentenced to death. However, in June of 1998, the Florida Supreme Court commuted the death sentence to life in prison because the murder was not premeditated.

Sergeant Hunt is survived by his wife and two sons.

Deputy Kevin Mathews was killed when his police motorcycle was struck by a limousine in the motorcade for presidential candidate Paul Tsongas.

He was attempting to block traffic at an intersection when he was struck.

Deputy Mathews is survived by his wife.

Deputy Genovese was shot and killed while participating in a SWAT team operation during a standoff with an armed suspect. The suspect, who had set his furniture on fire and was threatening to blow up his townhouse, surrendered to police after a four hour siege.

Although the suspect had fired at officers he was acquitted December 14, 1984, after his attorney convinced a jury that an officer’s return fire may have killed Deputy Genovese.

Six months later the suspect was charged with the attempted murder of a Miami police officer during a wild chase. The pursuit ended when he plowed his corvette into four police cars at a road block, injuring one officer. On March 18, 1988, he was charged with numerous firearms violations including sell and possession of machine guns after his arrest by ATF agents and Miami Police.

Deputy Genovese had served with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department for 16 months. Before that he served with the Datona Beach Police Department for three years.

Sergeant James Fogleman was killed in an automobile accident while transporting a critically injured child to the hospital. He was involved in a single vehicle crash while en route. After being transported to the hospital he refused treatment until the child and his mother were treated first.

As he sat in a chair doing paperwork he collapsed. It was later determined that his gun had impaled his spleen, causing him to bleed to death.

Sergeant Fogleman was survived by his expectant wife and two children.