Chief Willard Wayne Hathaway, 47, was the long-serving chief of the Sharpsburg Police Department. On July 17, 1997, he responded to a domestic dispute at a trailer in Weaver’s mobile home park and was shot in the head by the suspect, Abner Nicholson. Chief Hathaway died the following day at Duke Medical Center.

The shooter also killed his wife, Gloria Nicholson, 25, at the scene. An extensive manhunt involving more than 100 officers from multiple counties ended when 32-year-old Abner Nicholson, a mechanic who had recently lost his job, was found hiding less than a mile from the crime scene and arrested. He was charged with two counts of first-degree murder.

Chief Hathaway had served as chief for 25 years and is survived by his son; a portion of U.S. 301 through Sharpsburg was later named in his honor. Does anyone have memories of Chief Hathaway’s career or the effect his death had on the community?