Florida Deputy Dies in Custody After Birthday Celebration in Bar
Deputy Willard "Truck" Truckenmiller died from an unknown medical episode after being cut off and kicked out of Shores Bar and Grill early Tuesday morning where he was enjoying his birthday with friends.

Lee County (FL) sheriff's deputy Willard Truckenmiller died in custody after becoming unruly in a bar following a birthday celebration. Friends have set up a GoFundMe for his children. (Photo: GoFundMe)
A Lee County (FL) sheriff's deputy died in custody after being kicked out of the Fort Myers bar where he was celebrating his 32nd birthday last week.
Willard "Truck" Truckenmiller died from an unknown medical episode after being cut off and kicked out of Shores Bar and Grill early Tuesday morning where he was enjoying his birthday with friends.
“At some point around 1:30 a.m. his demeanor changed. They cut him off. He becomes upset because they'd no longer service him, and he becomes unruly," Scott Moorey, attorney for the bar, told WTSP TV. "For safety concerns, they locked the door."
The staff called a Lee County nonemergency line instead of 911. When asked why, Moorey said: "No one was trying to get him in trouble. They were concerned for him, but because of his actions, they felt one of his fellow deputies should come and calm him down."
Even after deputies talked to Truckenmiller about five minutes, "he continued to be unruly and disorderly," so they took him into custody and handcuffed him, Moorey said.
Deputies called for Lee County EMS about 2 a.m. and medics loaded a conscious Truckenmiller into an ambulance and drove away.
Aside from being a deputy, Truckenmiller was a volunteer football coach at his alma mater, Riverdale High School, and a father of two.
A fellow football coach has started a Gofundme page to raise money for his children. "We tragically lost a member of our Raider family and community," the post begins.
About a day in, more than 55 people have raised about $3,000 of the $20,000 goal, and the page has been shared 1,000 times.
"This account is solely to help send his children to college and help them in the days to come. Anyone who knew Truck knew how much he truly loved his children," part of the post reads. "Their father was a remarkable human being and will be missed by so many."
More Patrol

The Threat That Fits Under Your Fingernail
What cops need to know about alpha-gal, the tick-borne allergy that can turn an ordinary exposure into a problem weeks or months later.
Read More →
NLEOMF Honors September 2026 Officers of the Month
Four Bradenton Police Department officers were selected as the NLEOMF Officers of the Month for September 2026 for a nighttime water rescue.
Read More →
Blackhawk Debuts Mini EDC Pocket Multi-Tool
The Blackhawk Mini EDC Pocket Multi-Tool stows easily in pants pockets thanks to a sturdy stainless steel pocket clip and incorporates several essential/emergency tools into a single, high-mobility unit.
Read More →
Team Wendy Introduces the EXFIL Endurance Ballistic Helmet, Engineered to Reduce the Burden of Extended Wear
Team Wendy has launched its EXFIL Endurance, a new lightweight ballistic helmet engineered to deliver protection, comfort, and fit during demanding, extended operations.
Read More →
The First Responders Children’s Foundation National First Responders Day Roll Call of Heroes Ceremony Returns to Times Square, NYC
First Responders Children’s Foundation (FRCF), in collaboration with T-Mobile, will host the Roll Call of Heroes ceremony in Times Square to commemorate National First Responders Day on Wednesday, Oct. 28. During the event, FRCF will present 18 Hero Awards.
Read More →
Streamlight to Showcase Newest Lighting Products for Law Enforcement Professionals at IACP 2026
Streamlight will showcase its newest lights for law enforcement at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference & Expo. Featured lights will include the TLR-3 X, the PolyTac 1X, and more.
Read More →
Streamlight Portable Scene Light III Wins 2026 OH&S New Product of the Year Award
Streamlight’s Portable Scene Light III has won the 2026 Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) New Product of the Year Award in the Lighting category.
Read More →
Adept Armor Introduces Two New Rifle Plates
Adept Armor has launched two new Level IV ballistic plates, the Emperor and the Archon Mark 2, which brings Adept Armor’s new Quatroid ceramic to the high-threat, performance-value center of the range at 5.2 pounds.
Read More →
POLICE Product Test: Benchmade Bailout
The Benchmade Bailout is a slim, lightweight carry knife with a deep-ride pocket clip and comes in a variety of blade steels and scales. Here is a detailed review of the Taiga Green Bailout, released earlier this year.
Read More →
NLEOMF Announces July 2026 Officer of the Month
NLEOMF honored a Michigan deputy sheriff as the July 2026 Officer of the Month for rescuing a trapped driver from a burning vehicle following a Fourth of July crash.
Read More →