State Rep. Beau Baird (R-Greencastle) has recently thrown his support behind a resolution that calls for the Indiana Department of Transportation to rename a bridge in honor of Capt. James Baugh, a former Putnam County sheriff and veteran who died in the line of duty, according to a statement released by the Indiana House Republicans.
Baird knew Baugh personally and has lauded the late sheriff's character and dedication to public service saying, "I had the privilege of knowing Jim personally and witnessed firsthand his character, leadership and unwavering commitment to the people he swore an oath to protect", Baugh's legacy is remembered not only through this resolution but through a life that enthusiastically embraced community service and law enforcement for more than three decades. In a tragic incident in 2004, while Baugh was responding to a call he met with an accident and succumbed to his injuries at Indianapolis Methodist Hospital after his patrol car careened into Big Walnut Creek on U.S. Highway 231, as per the Indiana House Republicans.
Before his untimely passing, Baugh had served both as a U.S. Air Force veteran in Vietnam and as a law enforcement officer for 32 years, at times holding the role of sheriff between 1975 and 1982, his service extended well into his tenure with the Greencastle Police Department and thereafter the Putnam County Sheriff's Department.
The motion to rename the bridge, which spans Big Walnut Creek on U.S. Highway 231, is not Baird's first attempt to commemorate Baugh’s service; he previously co-authored a similar resolution in 2021 and presented Baugh’s family with state flags that had been flown over the Indiana Statehouse also U.S. Rep. Jim Baird presented the family with flags that had flown over the U.S. Capitol, making it clear that the desire to honor Baugh is shared by representatives at multiple levels of government. Senate Concurrent Resolution 11 has been successfully passed through both the Indiana Senate and House, now awaits the green light for INDOT to initiate the renaming project.
For those interested in tracking the resolution's progress, information can be found on Indiana’s legislative website where updates on the state’s governmental actions are posted for public view.
