William Wright "Will" Teasle (31 March 1930 - 15 May 2012) was an American police officer who served as sheriff in the Ligget County Sheriff's Department out of Hope, Washington. In 1981, Teasle and his officers pursued Vietnam War veteran John Rambo after arresting him for vagrancy. This led to a violent conflict between Rambo and Hope's law officers which culminated when it was revealed to the department that Rambo was a former Green Beret.
Teasle recovered from his injuries but was investigated by internal affairs for police brutality and negligence, he later took a plea deal and retired from law enforcement. In 2012, Teasle died of natural causes aged 82.
Biography[]
William Teasle was born in Washington on March 31st 1930 to a family of English descent. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1948, later attending Wenatchee Community College and graduated with an associate's degree in criminal justice in 1950 before being drafted into the US Army to fight in the Korean War. After the war ended, Teasle retured to his home state of Washington and became a police detective in Wenatchee. He was transferred to Ligget County Sheriff's Department in 1972, and was the department's elected sheriff by 1981.