the car's occupants had robbed a bank in Jamesville, 10 miles to the east. Martin County officials had failed to report the robbery and suspects' description to the Highway Patrol. After these incidents, the State Highway Patrol made a concerted effort to have better and timelier communications with local law enforcement agencies. Trooper Robert L. "Pete" Peterson was a former US Army and Vietnam veteran who had joined the State Highway Patrol in 1969. He had served as the longest-assigned physical training (PT) instructor in the history of the NC Highway Patrol Training Center, training close to ten trooper cadet classes. In 2016, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol named the physical training field and running track at the agency's training center in Raleigh as "Peterson Field" in honor of Trooper Peterson's legacy as the agency's most famous physical training instructor and in honor of his service. The North Carolina Department of Transportation also dedicated a portion of U.S. 221 in Rutherford County in honor of Trooper Peterson. In 2014, two bridges on U.S. 74 were dedicated to Captain Roy Huskey and Deputy Owen Messersmith. See also Capital punishment in North Carolina Capital punishment in the United States List of people executed in North Carolina References 1929 births 1984 deaths American people executed for murdering police officers American people convicted of manslaughter Executed people from North Carolina 20th-century executions of American people 20th-century executions by North Carolina People executed by North Carolina by lethal injection People convicted of murder by North Carolina People from Rutherford County, North Carolina