James Kenneth Crone, often known as Kenneth Crone (August 16, 1941 – February 10, 2011) was a Texas Highway Patrol officer from 1967 to 1978. During his law enforcement career, he was kidnapped on May 2, 1969, by Robert Dent and Ila Fae Holiday and then taken on a slow-moving caravan across south Texas. This event was dramatized in the 1974 feature film '' The Sugarland Express'' directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

. Crone was an advisor on the film and had a small role as a deputy sheriff.

Early life

Crone was born in

Tyler Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...

Smith County, Texas Smith County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 233,479. Its county seat is Tyler. Smith County is named for James Smith, a general during the Texas Revolution. Smith County is part of the Tyl ...

and graduated from

John Tyler High School Tyler High School, formerly known as John Tyler High School, is a public, co-educational secondary school in Tyler, Texas. It is part of the Tyler Independent School District and serves 9th through 12th grade. In 2020, the Tyler I. S. D. sch ...

before entering the U.S. Air Force where he served 4 years. In 1967, he joined the Texas Department of Public Safety graduating in class C-67 and was stationed at Winnie in Chambers County, Texas. Later James Kenneth Crone married Carolyn Faye Fontenot and had two sons.

External links

* * 1941 births 2011 deaths People from Tyler, Texas American law enforcement officials Kidnapped American people United States Air Force airmen {{Texas-bio-stub