OSBURN — Many people don't know the story of Osburn Police Officer Chuck Ashton, but a new memorial outside Osburn City Hall aims to change that.

Osburn Police Chief Jason Woody, along with volunteers from across the community, has been working to construct a memorial honoring the city's fallen officer as the 50th anniversary of his death approaches.

Officer Earl Charles "Chuck" Ashton was killed in the line of duty during the early morning hours of Aug. 17, 1976. He was just 23 years old and left behind a wife and daughter.

"Half a century may have passed, but a loss like this is forever woven into the history of Osburn," Woody said. "Yet, since his death, the city of Osburn has never formally recognized Chuck's sacrifice. We felt there was no better time than the 50th anniversary to finally right that wrong and ensure his legacy is cemented here."

The details of Ashton's death remain heartbreaking, especially for anyone with a loved one in law enforcement.

Ashton had been with the Osburn Police Department for just five months. While he enjoyed serving the small community, he dreamed of one day working in a major metropolitan area such as Los Angeles.

According to newspaper reports, the events of Aug. 17 began as a routine incident. Ashton was headed home to Post Falls after his shift when he spotted a truck traveling west in the eastbound lane of Interstate 90.

Still in uniform, Ashton placed a magnetic emergency light on his vehicle and initiated a traffic stop. He radioed dispatch with the truck's make, model and license plate number and requested backup from the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office.

As he approached the vehicle, a rifle was fired from the open window, fatally striking Ashton in the neck. The driver of the truck escaped before deputies could arrive.

The shooting launched an extensive manhunt involving multiple law enforcement agencies from across North Idaho. Investigators tracked the vehicle to an area near the Rose Lake junction at the base of Fourth of July Pass.

Using the information Ashton provided before the shooting, authorities traced the truck to 23-year-old Dixon Curley of Ronan, Mont. Curley, a career criminal, had recently been released from a Montana prison, where he had served part of a five-year sentence for larceny, assault and burglary.

When officers located the truck, Curley fled on foot with the rifle and disappeared into the surrounding hills. Seven hours later, authorities received a tip from a resident who reported seeing a man running through a field with a rifle. Officers quickly converged on the area, located Curley and took him into custody.

He was charged with first-degree murder, which, at the time, carried a mandatory death sentence in Idaho. 

During the trial, Curley's defense admitted he was responsible for the shooting but argued he had been too intoxicated at the time for the crime to be considered premeditated. The strategy failed. Just days later, Curley was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to death by hanging.

However, a subsequent U.S. Supreme Court ruling deemed Idaho's mandatory death sentence law unconstitutional. Curley was resentenced to a fixed term of 25 years in prison. He was released June 9, 1993, less than 17 years after the crime.

Woody hopes the new memorial will serve as a lasting reminder that fallen law enforcement officers should never be forgotten, regardless of how much time has passed.

"This monument isn't just about looking back; it's a message to our current officers, the Ashton family and the citizens we serve that those who make the ultimate sacrifice for our community are never forgotten," he said.

A public ceremony to dedicate and unveil the memorial will be held Monday, Aug. 17, at noon.

Woody also thanked Tony Silva of Procrete for donating time and services to the project, along with the many donors who helped make the memorial possible, including Dave Smith Motors, F&H Mine Supply, McGillivary Environmental, Dynamic Drilling, Jim's Towing, Squeaky's Window Tinting, Jonnie and Tyler Rotchford, and Mark and Anna Berger.

    Procrete owner Tony Silva smooths over the foundation of the new memorial being built by the city of Osburn to memorialize fallen police officer Chuck Ashton, who was killed in the line of duty in 1976.