Today, Governor Mike Parson ordered U.S. and Missouri flags be flown at half-staff at government buildings in Greene and Webster Counties on Sunday August 1, 2021 in honor of U.S. Department of Homeland Security Special Agent James Dale “J.D.” Holdman Jr.

On Sunday, July 25, Special Agent Holdman died unexpectedly while working in his official capacity with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“For more than 32 years, Special Agent J.D. Holdman Jr. devoted his life to public safety while working at the local, state, and federal levels,” Governor Parson said. “Special Agent Holdman served as a deputy sheriff, fire investigator, battled the illegal drug trade, and was honored and respected by his colleagues for his outstanding work. He was a model public servant who made his state a safer place for children, the vulnerable, and all of us.”

Special Agent Holdman’s public safety career included working as a Washington County Deputy Sheriff, a State Highway Patrol Motor Vehicle Inspector, and a Division of Fire Safety Investigator. In 2003, he joined the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a Special Agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was honored with the Guardian of Justice Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Missouri in 2016, in recognition of his outstanding work domestically and internationally investigating child pornography and child sex abuse.