Special Agent Benjamin Louis Sentell was killed in an on-duty patrol car crash on GA 24, west of Louisville. SA Sentell lost control of the car and collided with another vehicle.

Sentell is a native of Waynesboro, GA. He was one of the early Georgia State Patrol troopers, attending the 3rd Trooper School. He later became a special agent right after the GBI was established.

“He was probably one of the first GBI special agents,” Burke County Sheriff Grey Coursey says, remembering Special Agent Sentell as a good friend of his father’s.

SA Sentell served in the GBI for 26 years. He was survived by his wife.

Highway 24 West, from Waynesboro to Highway 305, was dedicated as the Special Agent Lt. Benjamin Louis Sentell Memorial Highway in his honor. House Resolution 1110 dedicated this road and described SA Sentell as exhibiting “extraordinary devotion to duty, outstanding loyalty, fine leadership, and meticulous attention to detail in all his duties.”

The GBI remembers and honors Special Agent Benjamin Louis Sentell. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.