In 1962, President Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day, a day to honor the lives of officers who have died or become disabled in the line of duty.
On Monday, May 15 at 3 p.m., Plant City Police Department will unveil a memorial honoring Officer Robert E. Yates, who was killed in the line of duty in 1911. Yates is the only Plant City police officer to die in the line of duty. The public is invited to attend the event.
The memorial, which will be placed at his graveside in Oaklawn Cemetery’s east section at 1900 North Wheeler Street, will remind all who view it of the ultimate sacrifice paid by Yates in service to the citizens of Plant City. It was designed by City of Plant City Cemetery Superintendent Jeff Black.
In attendance will be Yates’ family members, including his great-grandchildren Chet and Chuck Robertson and Brad Yates. Great-granddaughter Susan Dafont, who is unable to attend the unveiling because she’ll be out of the country, said she grew up hearing about her great-granddaddy and his tragic early death. “I think because he was such a hero in our family we’ve kept his memory alive,” she said.
His memory will burn brighter in her family thanks to several old newspaper clippings that Police Chief James Bradford gave her that included details surrounding her great-grandfather’s death. According to a Plant City Courier news story dated November 10, 1911, Yates, a 22-year-old officer with just a few months on the job, was on patrol when he observed a suspicious person near the train depot, now Union Station Depot. When he attempted to question the man, he refused to cooperate and drew a gun. The suspect fled on foot and Yates gave chase, assisted by a guard at a stockade, two local residents and two bloodhounds. Both dogs were shot and killed when they were sent in after the man. As Yates and the others searched for the suspect, he leapt from behind a tree and opened fire, striking Yates and the stockade guard.
Yates, who was paralyzed by the shot, died at his parent’s house on December 16 at 8:30 a.m., after languishing for more than a month.
The shooter, Lee Armstead, was eventually captured the next day near Dade City. He was tried and convicted of manslaughter but received a lenient sentence.
Yates was survived by his wife Annie Boyette Yates and two children, one-year-old Chester Robert Yates and Viola Yates, who was born between the time her father was shot and his death.
Even though Annie Boyette Yates would later remarry, James Yates, Robert’s father, would pick up young Chester in their Ford Model-T and share stories about his son.
Dafont was given a sneak-peak of the memorial last week and was moved to see her great-great-grandparents’ graves resting right next to their son’s final resting place. “I imagine they endured the way all parents do when they lose a child who gave his life for the greater good,” she said. “I just felt so sad and emotional standing there knowing that ultimately the children carry on one’s legacy and that is me for Robert Yates, which makes me very proud.”
She said her family is pleased that the community, city officials and police department has gone to such great lengths to honor her ancestor. “It’s not only a tribute to my family but to the community and officers in Plant City,” she said. “They’re all heroes.”