Bridge to be renamed after Capt. Jim Baugh

May 12, 2025
Jim Baugh Bridge
More than 20 years have passed since Capt. Jim Baugh died in the line of duty when he wrecked his Putnam County Sheriff’s Office patrol car while responding to a minor crash. The bridge where the crash occurred will soon bear his name following action by the Indiana General Assembly. Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

In what has been a long process, the U.S. 231 bridge over Big Walnut Creek will be renamed in honor of a former Putnam County sheriff who died in the line of duty in 2004.

Senate Concurrent Resolution 11, urging the Indiana Department of Transportation to rename the bridge as the “Jim Baugh Memorial Bridge” passed the Indiana Senate before passing the House of Representatives unanimously on Friday.

Baugh, a few months from retiring from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office after 32 years, was responding to a call on Jan. 2, 2004, when he lost control of his car, hit an embankment and overturned in Big Walnut Creek. He was extricated but died a few hours later at the hospital.

Baugh was a U.S. Air Force veteran who served in Vietnam. Following his military service, he worked for the Greencastle Police Department before transferring to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, where he served in various capacities, including as sheriff from 1975 to 1982. Baugh achieved the rank of captain during his 32 years as a law enforcement officer.

Previous versions of the resolution had failed, with the family and other local residents expressing exasperation at the delay.

In the end, perhaps it was the support of freshman State Sen. Brett Clark, himself a former two-term Hendricks County sheriff, that pushed this over the top.

Once a renaming resolution is passed through the Indiana General Assembly, INDOT can move forward with the project.

A complete story with comments from current Sheriff Jerrod Baugh, Jim’s son, and others will be printed in an upcoming edition of the Banner Graphic.