GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - The plaque stands in downtown Gridley as a testament to a popular officer who once patrolled nearby streets.

Every day, very few people stop and read the inscription.

They should.

October 20, 1934, was a typical day for police officer Arthur D. Miner. The weather was reportedly comfortable. A few dark clouds, as if foreshadowing coming events, hovered overhead.

Miner, born in Illinois, had moved to Sacramento in 1918. He took a job as a baker, but within a few years, changed course after being appointed a deputy game warden, a job he held for six years. Miner moved his family, wife Harriet, son Carl, and daughter Eleanor, to a small town called Gridley soon after.

In 1931, he resigned from his game warden duties and accepted a position as an engineer-driver at the Gridley fire department. Known for his enthusiasm and leadership abilities, Miner thrived as a firefighter.

But another job soon beckoned.

In July 1934, Miner, 52, took on the duties of deputy constable, peace officer, and firefighter. He worked nights when needed. In early October, he was the driving force behind the apprehension of a Chico man who killed two people, one a fellow officer.

His daughter Eleanor, who in 1933, had wed Donald De Mott, had recently made Miner and his wife grandparents. Before marriage, Eleanor was an active member of the Rainbow Assembly. Miner’s son Carl was working towards following in his father’s footsteps.

Miner was at police headquarters on October 20th when the phone rang. It was likely nearing 3 pm.

On the phone was Joe Lopez, caretaker of the city park. Lopez informed Miner that a man had been hanging around the park for several hours and made improper remarks to a 10-year-old boy. The man offered the boy money. They entered the bathroom. Within seconds, Lopez heard the boy scream, “No, no.”

Miner and firefighter Ted Sores arrived at the park a few minutes after they received the call. Miner rushed to the bathroom and pounded on the door.

He grasped and twisted the knob, shouting at the man to open it immediately. Miner heard the man say, “No,” then change his mind and reply, “Wait a minute.”

Miner directed the man and boy to exit the bathroom. The man tried to explain what was going on. He made it sound innocent. Miner didn’t buy it. He walked over to where the boy stood and asked what happened inside the toilet stall. The boy told the officer that the man had offered him a dollar to party and exposed himself. Miner told the man, who tried to explain himself, that he was under arrest. He then said he, “didn’t have to explain anything, he already knew.”

Miner and Sores held the man and walked him across the street to the Gridley Hotel, where their vehicle was parked. Miner checked the man for a gun and placed him in the backseat. Sores sat next to the man.  

The procedure was routine until it wasn’t.

Miner turned the ignition and steered the car a few feet when, like a bolt, the man punched Sores in the stomach and stabbed him.

The man grabbed Miner around the throat – thrust the knife down and through his chest, puncturing his lung. Blood spilled from the wound. Bystanders apprehended the man before he could escape. Miner, still conscious, was moved to the sidewalk. The wound was mortal.

Miner died four days later.

“He was a gentle soul,” said his great-granddaughter, Cindy Hoon. “A family man.”

Miner’s killer was executed in 1936. Ted Sores recovered from his wounds and returned to his duties.

Carl Miner was named successor to his father in November.

Arthur D. Miner was inducted into the California Peace Officers Association in 2013.

The next time you drive down Hazel Dr. in downtown Gridley, cast a glance at the plaque that stands as a testament to a man who gave up his life to save another.