By Pauline Masson –
He may be best remembered for being critically wounded when he was shot as he thwarted a burglary in progress, but in an era of a new interstate highway, new personal behavior laws, recurring hitchhikers, and a flurry of stray dog bites, he brought a heart warming touch to law enforcement.
Peter H. “Pete” Albertson, a former Pacific Railroad foreman and popular Boy Scout leader, was elected Pacific town marshal, aka police chief, in April 1960. He was 48-years old and eager to serve, which was a good thing. He entered a career field that would test his cordial everyman personality. He held the post for ten years.
As police chief, he doubled the size of his three-man department two days a year to make sure children were safe during their Halloween celebrations and was known to haul indigent hitchhikers to the full roster of civic groups seeking meager assistance before sending them on their way.
But he could be tough.
He notified the public that they were expected to be properly dressed in public and that he would strictly enforce the city’s new indecent exposure laws. When the city enacted an auto sticker law, he gave motorists 30 days to comply or be ticketed. He issued a similar notice after two years of his department cutting excessive weeds, publishing a notice that he would no longer send written notices when his department cut their weeds, but they would be fined to recover the cost.
He was once knocked down and beaten by an out of town troublemaker from Moorestown N J, who tried to grab his billy club then his gun. The man then tried to force himself into a passing car driven by a woman. Chief Albertson recovered his footing, drew his gun and ordered the man to stop. He was arrested and taken to the city jail and later to Union. He was fined $50 and released from jail on condition that he leave the County. He left by TWA plane to his home in N J. He told the judge that he had been under treatment for nervous trouble.
Chief Albertson once picked up a suspicious man in front of the Pentecostal Church that turned out to be a mental patient who had escaped from the Arsenal Street Asylum in St. Louis. The chief sat with the troubled man at the Pacific station until the hospital sent three St. Louis Policemen to pick him up and return him to Arsenal Street.
After five different citizens in unrelated incidents suffered bites from stray dogs that roamed the city, the chief initiated a crackdown on stray or unleashed dogs that was so successful that in the first six months of the crackdown no more bites occurred.
He earned the city a Missouri Highway Patrol award for traffic safety. In 1960 and 1961 he and Mayor Carrol Whitlock were invited to attend the Missouri Automobile Club of Missouri annual traffic forum. In May, 1963, Pacific officials were surprised to learn they would receive the Auto Club award for a perfect year of good pedestrian safety and for its children’s protection program. They accepted the Auto Clubs plaque at a banquet at the Hotel Governor in Jefferson City.
If his humanitarian, everyman persona, was not enough to cement his reputation in the local memory, the story of a failed burglary at the Lazy Larry Discount Store – that wasn’t even located in the city limits – became a staple of local lore.
He had been sworn in as a Franklin County sheriff’s deputy in January 1961, eight months into his first term, along with twelve other police chiefs and town marshals, to be on standby in case the sheriff’s department needed assistance.
And sure enough he was called to action at 3:30 a.m. on September 22, 1961 when the County sheriffs department requested that he and and Marshal Wendell Semlitch respond to a burglary in process at Lazy Larry’s discount store, located two blocks outside the city limits.
James Parrett, manager of the store, called the sheriff’s office at about 3:20 a.m. after he heard burglars breaking in over an intercom system that connected his next door home to the store.
Two burglars had climbed up a drain pipe in the roof and crawled inside through an exhaust fan ventilator outlet. They took about $60 from the cash register and had piled about $100 worth of merchandise on the floor near the ventilator. A third man waited in a get away car.
When Chief Albertson and Marshal Semlitch arrived, they circled the building while Mr. Parrett watched the front door. On seeing the police, the get away driver left the scene. Chief Albertson saw two men on the roof. One carried a shotgun, stolen and loaded moments before from the store. They jumped off the roof and ran.
Chief Albertson called out for the two to halt, and when they began to run, he fired first into the air, and then at the burglars. They dropped into the weeds. Seconds later, one of them raised up and fired at the chief with a 12 gauge shotgun from about 30 feet, hitting Chief Albertson in the left arm, left thigh and lower abdomen.
The three burglars were Pfc. Larry D. Sacca, Pvt. Jerome Mounce, and SP4 Ronald Watson, all soldiers stationed at the Nike Missile Base.
Marshal Semlitch fired three shots at the burglars as they fled into the darkness. He later learned that four pellets had struck Sacca in the back and the thigh. Marshall Semlitch called for an ambulance and for assistance and a manhunt was organized.
Eight State Highway patrolman, Franklin County officers, St. Louis County officers, and officers from Brentwood arrived. Both St. Louis County and Brentwood authorities brought police dogs
The officer split into two groups, each group, taking two dogs, and begin a search in the area. About three hours later Sacca walked out of the creek bed calling to Semlitch “Don’t shoot, Red. I give up.”
Sacca took the officers into the field and pointed out where he had thrown the shotgun. Officer found one spent shell in the chamber, and three live shells in the magazine.
One pallet from the riot, gun penetrated Sacca’s liver. Another one through his leg. He underwent surgery Friday afternoon when he was discovered to be more seriously wounded than formerly believed. Another pellet remained lodged in his shoulder.
Chief Albertson was seriously wounded. He was transported to St. Joseph Hospital in Kirkwood where he underwent surgery on Friday afternoon. As a former Missouri Pacific Railroad, employee, he was transported to the MoPac hospital in St. Louis for long term recovery. He remained in hospital for several weeks.
Sacca and Mounce were arrested and taken to Franklin County. SP4 Watson was arrested the following day at the Nike Base.
The community was stunned at the news of the chief being wounded. Pearl Brennan, Pacific Lions Club launched a campaign to raise funds to help Chief Albertson with medical costs. The town responded and on Nov. 2, the Lions presented $775 to the chief. A check from Lazy Larry’s owner Larry Manion, owner brought the total amount the chief received to $900. Equivalent to about $9,476 today.
On October 22, a month after he was wounded, the newspaper reported that Chief Albertson was at home in Pacific, walking on crutches as he recovered from the wounds. The chief said his left leg in which many pallets were still embedded was giving him some trouble. But he expected to resume his duties as soon as he was able to drive the police car. He would continue to serve for another nine year.
Sacca was tried and sentenced to five years in prison.
Pete Albertson was born May 19, 1912 in Maries County, Missouri to William Riley and Bessie Albertson. He had seven siblings. He was married on May 26, 1934 in Linn, MO to Mary Eliza Martin. They had four daughters. He was elected marshal four times and served as Pacific Police Chief from1960 to 1970. In 1976 he moved to Vienna, Missouri. He died June 2, 1989 and was buried in Vienna.
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AUTHOR’S NOTE
In 2008 when I was asked to write a book commemorating the Pacific Sesquicentennial, Michelle Bruns was tapped to chair a committee to determine what material should go into the book. She had many suggestions, but only one absolute demand.
“Police Chief Pete Albertson has to be in the book,” she said.
This was a time before the old Pacific Transcript weekly news pages were included in on-line searches, and I found nothing on Chief Albertson so he did not make it in the book. Recent discovery of a series of articles on the popular chief reveal what a sad omission that turned out to be and how right Ms. Bruns was to remember Chief Albertson.
Thank you for this article..Pete was my grandfather..his daughter Norma was my mom.. him and my grandmother were my all time favorite people.. When they moved to vienna I stayed with them in the summer to drive grandpa cause he was loosing his eyesite..He put in a beautiful garden with stings that grandma stretched for him..Wonderful people..
Marshal Pete Albertson and his wife Mae were very special to me. I remember his defiance of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen which led to his impeachment and removal as City Marshal back in 1973-74. Noted criminal defense attorney Charles Shaw represented him in suing the City of Pacific and a Circuit Judge sitting in Cole County ruled his removal as City Marshal was in fact illegal. He always protected the office of City Marshal and when the Mayor or Board of Aldermen began to meddle into his department he let them know it LOUD and CLEAR. He truly was an old time City Marshal who enforced the law as he saw it. I applaud my friend for that!