https://www.officer.com/features/honoring-the-fallen/news/10472139/exhibit-pays-tribute-to-fallen-florida-officer

Exhibit Pays Tribute to Fallen Florida Officer
A century ago, Plant City Officer Robert E. Yates was mortally wounded by a man he suspected of stealing at a train station.

PLANT CITY, Fla. -- A century ago, officer Robert E. Yates was mortally wounded by a man he suspected of stealing at a train station.

Yates, who was 23, remains the only Plant City police officer killed in the line of duty.

The police department is recognizing his sacrifice with an exhibit, "Remembering our Fallen: Officer Robert Yates -- 100 Years Later." The display that includes memorabilia, will be in the lobby of the police station at 1 Police Center Drive until early next year.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is the .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver and holster that Yates was carrying on the night he was shot. This pistol, which was loaned to the department by Robert Yates' grandson, Sanford Yates, has been passed down through the Yates family since Yates' death on Dec. 16, 1911.

The exhibit also features other artifacts such as the 1907 Plant City Jail keys that would have been carried by stockade Deputy W.M. Garner, who was injured by the same suspect, and a collection of badges from the early 20th century.

The East Hillsborough Historical Society and Senior Police Officer Tray Towles worked extensively researching the death of Yates and wounding of Garner.

Police Chief Bill McDaniel said the police department is refurbishing Yates' grave at Oaklawn Cemetery and hopes to place a plaque there honoring his sacrifice.

McDaniel filled in city commissioners about the exhibit and the improvements to Yates grave during the commissioners' Nov. 28 meeting. His presentation included an outline of the events surrounding the confrontation between Yates, Garner and the suspect, Lee Armstead.

McDaniel said Yates, who was paid $15 per month plus $1 per conviction, encountered Armstead at the train depot, now Union Station Welcome Center, early on the morning of Nov. 10, 1911. The officer suspected Armstead was stealing but he refused to be searched and fired shots at the officer, who returned fire.

Yates, gave chase when Armstead ran, enlisting the help of Garner and a citizen named Williams along the way. Armstead ran into a swamp, probably near the modern day Lowe's store.

In the ensuing minutes, Armstead's shots killed two tracking dogs, paralyzed Yates and wounded Garner.

Armstead was tracked down to Dade City, where authorities had to go to great lengths to keep him out of the hands of a lynch mob from Plant City. He was eventually taken to the Hillsborough County jail in Tampa, where a military guard helped ensure his safety.

Armstead, who said he was drunk that night and claimed the officers fired first, was convicted of manslaughter and served eight months, said McDaniel, who said he has been unable to find out why his punishment was so light.

"He basically disappeared," after his release, and moved to the east coast of Florida, where he apparently died in the 1940s, McDaniel said.

This story was lost in history until the Yates family and Brenda Inlow, an employee of the historical society, uncovered the information about seven years ago. Towles expanded on the research recently by reviewing records and newspaper articles.

Yates, who died at his parents' home more than a month after he was shot, was survived by his wife, Annie, who delivered a baby daughter, Viola, between the days her husband was wounded and died. Yates also was survived by a son, Chester Robert Yates, who was about 19 months old when his father died.

Garner died about a year later and his gunshot wound may have been a factor in his death, McDaniel said.

An inscription on Yates' gravestone says, "Just as the morning of his life was opening into day, his young and lovely spirit passed from earth." The inscription doesn't mention he was an officer killed in the line of duty.

Research continues into the case, McDaniel said. His department would like to locate trial information and the gun that Armstead carried that night, which was recovered by has disappeared over the years.

The exhibit will remain on display until probably February at the police station lobby. The exhibit can be viewed from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Copyright 2011 - Tampa Tribune, Fla.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service

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