Warren County Sheriff’s Deputy Jasper Luckett knocked on the door of a shack in Waltersville on May 11, 1943. Moments later, he received a gunshot wound to the chest.

Eighty years after Luckett’s death, he was honored with a gravesite plaque detailing his service to the community. Doug Arp, the “unofficial historian” for the sheriff’s office, led the effort to locate Luckett’s grave.

“(Luckett) was serving a warrant for incest. He got to the door, and he knew the guy and was going to talk him out of it,” Arp said during a Thursday ceremony. “The guy shot him.”

The Vicksburg Post wrote about Luckett at the time of his death, saying, “He was a faithful and efficient officer and was courageous and fearless. He was also kind and considerate.”

Sheriff Martin Pace was in attendance at the Thursday ceremony, which took place in the back corner of Antioch Cemetery off of Fisher Ferry Road.

Arp’s dedication to memorializing fallen officers is an inspiration, Pace said, adding a personal word of thanks to Arp for preserving Warren County’s law enforcement history.

“This is the fourth marker Doug has helped to get placed,” Pace said. “Doug has become the official, unofficial historian for the sheriff’s office, and has made it a point to memorialize officers. All will know for generations to come that (Luckett) was killed in the line of duty and he made the ultimate sacrifice as an officer.”

In addition to gravesite markers, Arp also ensures fallen officers’ names are added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C.

The markers are placed and donated by Gibson Monuments and Vases in Vicksburg.

Also in attendance at Thursday’s ceremony was Warren County Tax Assessor Ben Luckett, a cousin of Jasper Luckett.

“I want to thank (Gibson) for donating the marker and your time,” Ben Luckett said. “With history and long-lost relatives, you kind of lose sight. It’s cool, the family has been in Warren County for a long time.”