Sergeant Ruben Howard Thomas III - Florida Dept. of Corrections - True Life Hero

Ruben Howard Thomas III
- Mar. 18, 2012 -

(27866)

Pass your cursor over pic to see larger version! Click pic for full version!

FL Dept. of Corrections Patch

Resided:	Lake City (Columbia County) FL, USA
Born:	Jun. 09, 1987
Fallen:	Mar. 18, 2012
Race/Sex:	Caucasian Male / 24 yrs. of age
	Agency
Dept:	Florida Dept. of Corrections 4070 Esplanade Way Tallahassee, FL 32311 USA (850)717-3700
County:	Leon
Dept. Type:	State/Corrections
Hero's Rank:	Sergeant
Sworn Date:	Unk
FBI Class:	Homicide - Knife
Weapon Class:	Knife
Agency URL:	Click Here
On The Job:	6 years
Duties:	assigned to Columbia Correctional Institution Annex

Bio: Ruben was the son of Ruben Howard Thomas Jr. and Paula Terrell Thomas. He was educated in the Columbia County School System(FL) and was a member of the graduating class of 2005 from Columbia High School.

Sgt. Thomas loved to cook, read and garden. He was an avid hunter and fisherman as well as a dedicated Florida Gator Fan, but his favorite time was that spent with his baby girl, Emma.

Ruben was a member of the New Beginnings Pentecostal Church.

Survived by:

Ms. LeAnn Royster - Fiance - Other
& 18 mo. daughter Emma, and child due Aug/2012

Rueben Jr. & Paula Thomas - Parents

Fatal Incident Summary

Offender:	Richard Franklin :: Caucasian / Male Franklin is currently serving a life sentence for multiple crimes including the 2004 murder of a Bethune-Cookman College student in Daytona Beach, battery on a law enforcement officer and escape. Franklin has been disciplined more than 50 times while in prison, according to records, for threats, disobedience, lying, and other offenses. Secretary of the Department of Corrections Ken Tucker said Franklin will be transferred to a maximum security prison and the killing will be investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

Location:	Columbia Correctional Annex Lake City, FL USA Sun. Mar. 18, 2012
Summary:	Sergeant Ruben Thomas was stabbed to death by an inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution Annex. At approximately 10:00 pm, Sergeant Thomas was checking on an inmate in one of the prison dorms when he was attacked. He was stabbed in the neck several times by an inmate who was armed with a shank. The inmate, already serving a life sentence for murdering a college student, then struck another officer in the eye with a sock filled with a heavy item before being subdued and restrained. Sergeant Thomas was transported to Shands Lake Shore Hospital where he succumbed to his wounds.
Source:	Website Click
Source:	Website Click
Source:	Website Click

Last Updated: May. 29, 2019