February 5, 2022:
Today, I honor two slain Arizona highway patrolmen. Fifty-one years ago today, all hell broke loose on a stretch of lonely Northern Arizona highway. In a distance of less than 8 miles, two of Arizona’s bravest lawmen were shot and killed. My best wishes go out to the families of James Lee Keeton and Don Alan Beckstead. May we always remember.
We should also not forget the young Missouri couple kidnapped in the wake of the officers’ murders, taken to the area near an abandoned coal mine by Gallup, NM, tied up and shot in the head. Fortunately for the public, the wife survived and was able to summon help and give a description of the couple’s stolen VW. That allowed some observant policemen in Grants, New Mexico, to spot, pursue, and run down the Volkswagen and put an end to this crime spree in a hail of flying bullets reminiscent of the last moments of Bonnie and Clyde.
This story is captured in my book Rampage along Route 66. In addition to covering this wild crime spree, the book also paints a nostalgic picture of America’s favor highway under transition from the Mother Road to a super freeway. It can be purchased online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart.
For more information see: Rampage | Indleggen Publishing
