Arthur Fleece Crenshaw, a 32-year-old white male, was tragically killed on October 4, 1922, in Dade City, Pasco County, Florida. Crenshaw, who served as a deputy sheriff, was ambushed and shot while investigating illegal moonshining activities in the area. He was accompanied by Federal Prohibition Agent John Waters, and both men were killed in the ambush. The incident occurred near the Sturkie stock farm, about six miles northeast of Dade City.
The assailants fired at close range, with Crenshaw receiving multiple buckshot wounds to his left shoulder and head, while Waters was also fatally shot.
The investigation into their deaths revealed that the officers were likely targeted due to their efforts to enforce prohibition laws. They had left Dade City with a search warrant to investigate the stock farm for illicit goods and alcohol. The community was shocked by the brutal nature of the murders, which were discovered by Paul Overstreet, a resident of the stock farm, who found the bodies in a Ford car still in gear, indicating they were ambushed while the car was in motion.
Following the murders, six men, including five brothers, were arrested and charged with the killings of Arthur Fleece Crenshaw and John Waters. Despite the arrests, none of the suspects were convicted. The case highlighted the dangers faced by law enforcement officers during the prohibition era, as they often encountered violent resistance from those involved in illegal alcohol production and distribution. One of the suspects was later killed in a raid on a liquor still near the site of the original ambush, further underscoring the ongoing conflict between law enforcement and moonshiners in the region.
