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2023 Fallen Officers Memorial Ceremony

A solemn duty to remember

Eight Ohio law enforcement officers who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty during the past several years were honored on May 4, 2023, at the 35th Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony.

Attorney General Dave Yost, members of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission and law enforcement officers from throughout the state remembered these heroes – and the men and women who fell before them – at the ceremony, held at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy (OPOTA).

The Ohio Fallen Officers Memorial Wall, on the grounds of OPOTA, bears the names of the 829 law enforcement officers who have died on the job since 1823. The eternal flame at the center of the memorial symbolizes our commitment to never forget these officers and serves as a poignant reminder of the risks that the men and women behind the badge face every day.

The fallen officers recognized on May 4 were:

Officer Kenneth C. Jones, Akron Police Department

Officer Kenneth C. Jones
Akron Police Department
End of watch: Nov. 7, 2020

Officer Jones was beginning a new chapter of his life when he was struck down by a heart attack.

Just six weeks earlier, he had remarried, happily in love again after having lost his first wife to cancer in 2016.

News of his death stunned the Akron Police Department.

“It was an absolute shock to everyone because he was such a physically imposing guy,” Lt. Michael Miller said. “He was nearly 6 feet 5 and . . . appeared to be in great physical shape. We were devastated.”

Officer Jones’ faith, which served him so constantly throughout his life, was the focus of many colleagues’ memories of him.

“If you presented any issues to Kenny, he would always pray for you,” friend and fellow Officer Calvin Barker told reporters soon after Jones’ death. “He prayed for people in the streets when they were going through stuff. He didn't have a mean bone in his body.”

Capt. Kris Beitzel, who joined the department in 1994, echoed those sentiments.

“Kenny was literally the kindest person I've ever known,” she said. “That came from his faith in God. It came from just the general goodness of who he was.”

Miller said Jones’ actions reflected his values.

“You knew Kenny was a man of faith by the way he lived his life, the way he loved his children, the way that he loved his wife,” he said. “He would often share positive words of affirmation, of encouragement and even prayer when necessary, and it was always the right balance. So it never struck anyone as overbearing or inappropriate because he had a gift for discernment and knew what someone needed in a certain moment.

“He helped other people be stronger.”

On the Friday afternoon of Nov. 6, 2020, Officer Jones responded to a domestic-assault call involving a child. A crowd of family members and bystanders had gathered and grew increasingly belligerent and confrontational with the officers on the scene.

Officer Jones transported a suspect back to the station and later told his supervisors that he had experienced pain in his chest during the incident. That evening at home, when he complained of pain in his throat, his wife drove him to Summa Akron City Hospital, where his condition worsened. He passed away on Saturday.

He was 55 and had served with the Akron Police Department for 26 years, the vast majority of the time in the patrol division.

The soft-spoken Jones was a “gentle giant” whose calmness had a way of defusing tense situations. His colleagues said even the people he interacted with on the streets or transported to jail or mental-health facilities seemed to appreciate his empathy and respected the way he went about his job.

In all that he did, Miller said, he acted with a sense of humanity.

“He really was an angel on Earth. Maybe it sounds cliché, but the tributes that poured in after his death – thousands of people telling the exact same story – only reinforced how blessed we felt to know and work with Kenny.”

Jones was born in Arizona but was a lifetime resident of Akron. He attended Garfield High School and the University of Akron, and later graduated from the Akron Police Academy.

Friends and family say he was a big kid at heart who was fond of Marvel comics, Star Wars movies, movie theater popcorn and amusement parks, especially Cedar Point. He was an excellent artist, loved to sing, and had an appreciation for all genres of music.

He is survived by his wife, Stacy Hairston-Jones; three teenage children from his first marriage, daughters Havilland and Eunice and son Xavier; his father; and two brothers and a sister. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Rhonda, and his mother, Barbara.

“There’s not a single person who has an ill thing to say about Kenny,” Miller said. “Simply by his example, he would encourage you to be a better man, a better human being. And that's one of the things about him that I’ll miss forever.”

Officer Edward L. Stewart, Akron Police Department

Officer Edward L. Stewart
Akron Police Department
End of watch: Feb. 12, 2021

Officer Stewart was known for his devotion to his community and his ever-present kindness. Integrity, humility and passion defined both his personality and his career.

“Stew wrote the script for what a public servant should be,” said Lt. Michael Miller of the Akron Police Department. Miller said he regarded his friend as a mentor, the godfather of the department.

Others did, too.

“If there was one word that describes him, it’s ‘respect,’ ” Sgt. Brent Bauknecht told reporters shortly after Officer Stewart’s death. His colleague’s exemplary character and conduct, Bauknecht said, made a lasting positive impact on the community.

Stewart died at age 60 after a two-month battle with COVID-19.

“It really shocked us,” Miller said. “Midway through, we had heard there was some improvement – so there was a great expectation that Stew would recover. And then, before we knew it, he had taken a turn for the worse and was gone.”

Compounding the loss was the death a few months earlier, in November 2021, of Akron Officer Kenneth Jones, who suffered a heart attack at age 55. Jones and Stewart, both assigned to the patrol division, were like brothers.

Miller said that even when Officer Stewart was in the hospital intensive care unit, he was focused on getting back to work.

“He said he didn’t want to let anyone down. That struck me because, even as uncertain as his situation was, his thoughts were on serving others. He set the bar high. This department and this community lost a great man.”

Edward Stewart began his career as a civilian employee in 1993 before pursuing his passion and joining the Akron Police Department’s academy in December 1994. After graduating, he joined the patrol division and served the community as a transport wagon officer, where he remained, by choice, for his entire 27-year career with the department.

Colleagues talked about the relentless enthusiasm with which he carried out his job and lived his life. In fact, Stewart was eligible for retirement but continued working because “of his love and passion for the community,” Miller said.

Before entering law enforcement, Stewart served 14 years in the Air Force. During his tenure, he met the love of his life, Lisa, with whom he raised a family over the course of their 35-year marriage.

Miller said Officer Stewart had “a strong, commanding, yet humble presence” among his colleagues and was always one of the first to respond to assist his fellow officers, even in the most critical moments. In addition, he was continually looking for ways to improve his own performance and the efficiency of the department as a whole.

“If you saw him with his hands empty, something was wrong because he was known for studying reports and other research from around Ohio and the nation,” Miller said. “It was something new every day. It might be about safety or technology, but it always related to helping us serve the community better, helping us do our jobs better.”

On top of that, his colleagues said, Officer Stewart had a photographic memory – a gift that, among other things, enabled him to identify license plates mentioned in the reports he regularly consumed. He knew not only that a vehicle had been stolen, Miller said, but also the day and time it was taken and the location of the theft – information he could recall even weeks later.

Ultimately, though, his abundant compassion is what colleagues remember most vividly – and Officer Stewart showed it at all times, even with the men and women he took to jail, Miller said.

“He drove the wagon and saw these people in their worst moments. Yet he always offered kindness and understanding.”

In addition to his wife, Officer Stewart is survived by two sons, Jason and Leland; two grandsons, Carter and Mehki; six brothers; two sisters; his mother-in-law and extended family members.

Deputy Robert C. Mills, Butler County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Robert "Craig" Mills
Butler County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: Sept. 12, 2021
Memorial Wall: Panel 23

Deputy Mills was a kindhearted, disciplined and passionate person who treated everyone with respect and fiercely loved his friends and family. Or, as a friend described him, he was a “one phone call” kind of person – someone who, when contacted, was there to help right away, no questions asked.

Mills, known to family and friends as Craig, was 57 and had been with the Butler County Sheriff’s Office for 32 years when he died on Sept. 12, 2021, after a lengthy battle with COVID-19. He had actually retired in June 2019, only to return several months later to the work he enjoyed at the urging of Sheriff Richard Jones.

“You couldn’t ask for a better deputy, and we needed him back,” Jones said. “His job was to find people and serve warrants, and nobody did it better. Other agencies from our county and around the state would even turn to him if they needed help. He had an unbelievable instinct and an amazing rapport with people.”

Those who knew him best say he was especially compassionate and generous, too. Friend and colleague David Rumpler said it wasn’t uncommon for Mills to dig into his own pocket to buy groceries for struggling families he encountered when serving warrants.

“He never met a stranger,” Rumpler told the Butler County Journal-News. “No matter what the cover of the book looked like, he never met a stranger.”

Sheriff Jones said Deputy Mills was born and raised in the Hamilton area and often knew the people he interacted with.

“He never forgot where he came from, all the way to the end,” Jones said. “He was just one of those people who always showed up when he knew someone needed something. He was always there, no matter how tough it was, no matter what other things he had to do. To me, that’s his biggest legacy.”

Always a star athlete, Mills was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1982 and played Triple-A baseball through 1987. He would later be inducted into the Hamilton High School Athletic Hall of Fame and the Butler County Softball Hall of Fame.

Throughout his life, he mentored athletes in the Hamilton area, and the City Council has since commemorated his tireless contributions by voting to name the street leading to the North End Baseball/Softball Complex in his honor. It’s no coincidence, Jones said, that Craig Mills Way happens to connect with a street named for another Hamilton baseball legend: Joe Nuxhall, a former Cincinnati Reds pitcher and announcer.

“Hamilton High contends for the state baseball championship almost every year, it seems,” Jones said. “We’re always right up at the top. It was Craig who helped mentor a lot of these young men and their coaches. He gave back till his last breath.”

The street naming was backed by Mayor Pat Moeller, who worked with Deputy Mills in the prosecutor’s office. The proponents of the measure said it wasn’t only Mills’ involvement in law enforcement and sports that qualified him for the honor, but also his heart and willingness to help others in need.

When he wasn’t around a baseball field, Deputy Mills was typically pursuing his other favorite outdoor pastime – fishing. And he was good at, with trophies from various professional bass tournaments to prove his prowess. It was a passion he especially enjoyed sharing with the city’s disadvantaged kids through Fish With a Cop, a tournament he helped organize.

“A lot of these kids didn’t have a dad,” Jones said. “They had never held a fishing pole or baited a hook. But you should have seen them laughing and giggling over the fish they brought in, even the little bitty fish that were barely bigger than the bait. They were so happy.”

Deputy Mills’ funeral honored his love of fishing: His bass boat was towed right behind the hearse in the procession to the cemetery. “If he had his way,” Jones said, “he probably would have been in the boat.”

There was no doubt, though, about the greatest source of passion in Deputy Mills’s life: his children, Megan and Alex. He loved spending time with them and rarely missed one of their sporting events or school events, Jones said.

In addition to his kids, Mills is survived by his wife of nearly 27 years, Anne Vaaler Mills, and his sister, Rayetta Fields, as well as in-laws, nieces and nephews, and numerous extended family members.

“What a great and wonderful person,” Jones said. “We miss him every day.”

Patrolman Sean E. VanDenberg, Lawrence Twp. Police Department

Patrolman Sean E. VanDenberg
Lawrence Twp. Police Department
End of watch: Dec. 25, 2021
Memorial Wall: Panel 24

Patrolman Sean VanDenberg came to law enforcement at a much older age than most cops do.

After a career as a mechanic, welder and fabricator, he decided to chase his dream of becoming a police officer, entering the Stark State College Law Enforcement Academy at age 44 in 2012. A year later, he joined the Lawrence Township Police Department in Stark County.

His colleagues at the academy and the police department valued the wisdom he brought to the job and the manner with which he dispensed it. He was the “Dad” of the department, Police Chief David Brown said.

What people don’t know, the patrolman’s wife of 21 years said, is that “he was scared to death to go to the academy” at his age. Despite that, Jeanann VanDenberg said, he graduated second in his class and often wondered why he hadn’t gone into law enforcement much sooner.

“‘It was God’s plan,’ I told him. ‘He wanted you to be older and more mature.’”

Patrolman VanDenberg spent six years on the Canton-area SWAT team, was a certified sniper and firearms instructor, and was always eager to help his colleagues.

“I think his favorite role was field training officer,” Chief Brown said. “He really enjoyed taking our new people under his wing. He had a real knack for training and loved learning new tactics and procedures. Sean used every day as a teaching moment.”

Patrolman VanDenberg died of COVID-19, which he contracted on Dec. 3, 2021, after arresting a man and transporting him to jail. The suspect had complained of being sick and showed symptoms of COVID. Despite the precautions he took, he fell ill the next day and was taken to the hospital, where he later tested positive for the virus. Organ failure eventually ensued and, according to Brown, “everything that could have gone wrong went wrong.”

He died on Christmas at age 53, in his eighth year with the Lawrence Township Police Department.

Jeanann VanDenberg remembers her husband as “an all-around good person” who cared about people and his community. “He opened his heart to everybody,” she said.

In his spare time, Patrolman VanDenberg enjoyed a wide range of athletic pursuits, including working out, cycling, running and scuba diving. He had completed his first ultra-marathon just six months before his death.

That he died on Christmas and had been so fit and healthy before contracting COVID seems cruelly ironic – something she and her children have thought about frequently, Jeanann VanDenberg said.

But she reconciles the irony this way: “With Sean being such a believer, a man of such deep faith, I don't think he would have died on any other day.”

She feared, in fact, that he might die on Christmas Eve, a concern that inspired her to prayer: ‘God,’ I said, ‘I’m going to have a selfish moment. Please do not take him on my mom's birthday. It will devastate her.’”

Her mother, she said, loved Sean dearly. When her husband finally did pass, she looked at her watch: It was 12:02, two minutes into Christmas morning.

Not long after the funeral, Jeanann VanDenberg recalled, a young man whom her husband had stopped for speeding reached out to her through Facebook.

“He said he’d been a jerk to Sean, swearing at him and generally giving him a hard time. Still, the young man said, Sean talked to him for 20 minutes – ‘like I was a real person.’” The young man concluded his condolence by saying, “I really respect and look up to your husband and just wanted to let you know that.”

The anecdote reinforces Patrolman VanDenberg’s character and his sense of fairness.

“He gave people the benefit of the doubt and did everything he could to put them in a better place,” Chief Brown said. “It didn’t matter whether a person was the victim of a crime or the suspect; he always helped them be better at that moment.”

The patrolman, known for his sunny disposition, made it a practice of wishing the department’s dispatchers a cheery “good morning” when calling in for service.

“They looked forward to it every morning,” Chief Brown said – so much so that department played a recording of the patrolman’s daily greeting at his funeral.

“Everybody knew Sean and everybody loved him,” said Brown, noting that his death has been “a difficult time for a lot of people in this community.”

In addition to his wife, Patrolman VanDenberg is survived by four grown children – Erin, Ryan, Maxwell and John – three grandchildren, his mother, three siblings, and many extended family members. VanDenberg’s father passed away six months after his son died.

Agent John D. Stayrook, Medina County Drug Task Force

Agent John D. Stayrook
Medina County Drug Task Force
End of watch: Feb. 6, 2022
Memorial Wall: Panel 25

John Stayrook took on the inherent dangers of drug-task-force work for a simple reason: He wanted to protect and improve the communities he served in northeastern Ohio.

“John was a true hero and dedicated his life to serving others and making the state of Ohio a safer place for all of us,” said his boss, Darren Stout, the director of the Medina County Drug Task Force, an independent agency that serves 14 law enforcement departments in the county. “John was truly passionate about what he did for the community, and his death leaves a great void. It was an honor to serve alongside him, and his memory will live on forever with the task force.”

Agent Stayrook died after contracting COVID-19 while assisting Brunswick police during a drug-related traffic stop in January 2022. He spent a couple of days at home but, when breathing became difficult, was rushed to the hospital, where he eventually was moved to the intensive care unit and put on a respirator.

Through all of this, Agent Stayrook stayed upbeat and positive. Instead of focusing on his own well-being, Stout said, “he looked at it as more of an inconvenience for his family and the agency.”

His friend and colleague fought COVID for nearly a month before passing away. He was 60.

Agent Stayrook found his way to law enforcement later in life, after a career in construction that had taken him all over the country.

“He got bit by the bug,” Stout said. “His career path, I would venture to say, was different than most every other law enforcement officer’s in the state of Ohio in that he put himself through the academy and directly got into the drug enforcement specialization. This was his passion.”

After graduating from the Medina County Law Enforcement Academy, he was hired in 2003 by the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency in Wayne County, where he worked until 2007 before joining the Medina County Drug Task Force.

Medina County Sheriff Terry Grice said Agent Stayrook dedicated himself to the task force’s mission.

“His passion to do the right thing was very evident,” Grice said. “He was a remarkable agent and a tremendous person, and will be missed by all those who had the privilege to know him.”

Jason Waddell, director of the Medway DEA, said Agent Stayrook’s work ethic was second to none, noting that he was always willing to teach, learn and help out.

“He was just great to work with,” Waddell said.

Stout said Agent Stayrook was analytical and matter-of-fact but also had a unique talent for getting people “to open up to him more than anybody I've ever seen in my career. He was very empathetic and caring.”

Julie Ruic, an administrative assistant with the Medina County Drug Task Force, said Agent Stayrook’s smile was like a barometer indicating good times ahead: “Whenever John would get that grin, you knew something funny was about to happen or be said.”

But he wasn’t funny just to be funny; he lived his life to bring light into the world around him.

“John never knew a stranger,” Stout said. “He had the gift of gab and he knew it. He knew how to navigate any problem with just his wit and humor.

“He could get the whole room just rolling with laughter at any given point, even if it was a somber situation. . . . That's what drew so many people to him and helped him in in his daily life as a drug enforcement agent, as a husband, father and grandfather. Everywhere John went, he was unconditionally loved.”

Agent Stayrook is survived by his wife, Pamela; his children, Adam and Jacqueline; his siblings, Blain and Margaret; and his two grandchildren, Breckon and Rowen.

A talented woodworker, he liked to unwind in his garage workshop by crafting animals, rocking horses and one-of-a-kind items, especially for his grandkids. He also liked camping with family and friends, and helping out with the Shop With A Cop program at Christmastime.

Agent Stayrook’s greatest sense of accomplishment, he would tell people, came from being a father and grandfather. Friends and family say he combined a deep love of life with a sincere appreciation of its greatest joy: the simplicity of being with loved ones.

Officer Dominic M. Francis, Bluffton Police Department

Officer Dominic M. Francis
Bluffton Police Department
End of watch: March 31, 2022
Memorial Wall: Panel 26

Dominic “Dom” Francis was part of the fabric of his northwestern Ohio community, someone who touched many lives in different ways.

A full-time member of the Bluffton Police Department, Officer Francis also served his neighbors as a volunteer firefighter in the Southwestern Hancock Joint Fire Department. In addition, he worked as a strength-and-conditioning coach, football coach, substitute teacher and bus driver at Cory-Rawson High School, his alma mater.

He also had a special fondness for helping the school’s softball coach – Ricki Francis, his wife since 2010.

“His involvement in the community went a lot further than just his dedication to serve and protect,” Bluffton Police Chief Ryan Burkholder said. “He was always willing to be a teacher and mentor, both inside the department and outside the department, and that speaks volumes about his character and personality.”

A stolen car being pursued by Ohio State troopers struck and killed Officer Francis as he was deploying tire-puncturing stop strips on southbound I-75 in Hancock County. At times, the car reached speeds exceeding 130 mph.

“This community lost a hero,” Burkholder said. “He was an outstanding police officer with a very big heart.”

Amanda Miller, a dispatcher in the Hancock County Sheriff's Office, described Francis, a close friend and colleague, as a peacemaker. They had both dreamed of pursuing careers in police work, she said, since they met at age 16 as members of the sheriff office’s Explorers post.

“Service was as natural to him as breathing,” Miller said.

The superintendent of Cory-Rawson Local Schools, Jay Clark, told news media that the impact of Francis’ death is profound: “Our community is a small place. They all knew who Dominic was.”

Officer Francis, 42 when he died, had worked in law enforcement for 19 years. Before joining the Bluffton Police Department, where he served 11 years, he worked for the Findlay Police Department and the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office.

He was named Officer of the Year twice and had received the Chief’s Leadership Award and the Bluffton Police Department’s Life-Saving Award. He also was honored by Mothers Against Drunk Drivers as Top Cop and earned the Ohio EMS Star of Life multiple times.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost met Officer Francis in 2019 when he received the Top Cop Award. “His last act was heroic, but that was not what made him a hero,” said Yost, who spoke at the funeral. “He was already a hero.”

Burkholder, who met Francis when they attended high school together, said compassion was a cornerstone of his friend’s life.

“He always tried to work with the people he met on the job so they didn’t fall into a cycle of wrong behavior,” the chief said. “He gave them the opportunity to better themselves because he saw their potential. And he lived by what he said.”

Burkholder recounted an exchange he had with a stranger shortly after Francis’ funeral. The man approached him, he said, and explained that he was probably on his “third strike” when Officer Francis spent some time with him and made it clear that he had to make choice – either stay on the dead-end track he was on or steer a new course.

“The gentleman is doing very well now,” Burkholder said. “That interaction happened just several months before Dom’s passing, and it was very moving to hear how his concern had changed the guy’s life.”

In March 2023, Emin Johnson, the 21-year-old man who was driving the stolen car that struck Francis, pleaded guilty to six charges and was sentenced to 21 to 26½ years in prison. Two passengers in the car had previously pleaded guilty.

Ricki Francis spoke at Johnson’s sentencing, saying: “Dom was my best friend, my soulmate, my partner in everything, and the best person I’ve ever met in my life. … We were a team like no other. And you took that from me.”

She then forgave Johnson.

“Dom was always about second chances,” she said. “Forgiveness was important to him, and to me. I forgive you, and Dom would forgive you.”

In addition to his wife, Officer Francis is survived by his son, Blake Francis; daughter, Taylor Born; parents, Robert and Vicky Francis; and sister, Chase Eikenbary. Family and friends meant everything to him, and he especially enjoyed boating with them at Indian Lake.

A four-mile stretch of I-75 at Bluffton has been renamed the Officer Dominic Francis Memorial Highway to commemorate his bravery.

Deputy Matthew E. Yates, Clark County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Matthew E. Yates
Clark County Sheriff's Office
End of Watch: July 24, 2022
Memorial Wall: Panel 27

Matthew Yates followed in his father’s footsteps, choosing a career in law enforcement because he believed a good peace officer could make a difference. He lived by that philosophy during his 15 years with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, often sharing it with kids who might aspire to wear the badge someday.

Tragically, Deputy Yates’ life was cut short on July 24, 2022, when he and other deputies responded to a call about a woman attempting to get into a residence at the Harmony Estates Mobile Home Park, east of Springfield, where shots had been fired.

The woman, it turned out, had gone to the mobile home to check on her son out of concern for his mental health – and was shot and killed by him.

As deputies entered the mobile home, they were met with gunfire. Deputy Yates, a member of the special operations team, was hit and went down. Other tactical officers were called to the scene to rescue him but were kept at bay by the shooter inside the mobile home. After several hours, members of the tactical team stormed in and retrieved Yates. In the process, the mobile home caught fire and was destroyed; the bodies of the mother and son were later recovered in the remains.

Deputy Yates was transported to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, where he was pronounced dead. He was 41.

At his funeral, Clark County Sheriff Deborah Burchett called him “a warrior” who “devoted his life to making his community better.”

Major Mike Young said Deputy Yates “simply embodied goodness. If we gave out medals for every person that Matt made feel special, valued, loved or protected, there wouldn’t have been enough space on his shirt.”

Deputy John Loney said his friend left a lasting impression on the community: “There is not a day that goes by that you don’t hear something about Matt, or somebody asks about him.” Even inmates in the county jail were moved by his death, Loney said. “Some of them went so far as to write ‘RIP, Deputy Yates’ on the windows. That says it all about Matt right there.”

Another close friend, Deputy Fitzroy Lawrence, said Deputy Yates enjoyed working with young kids and teens. He was involved in a group called Peace Keepers and had been invited to speak at a local school that was dealing with race issues.

Humor was one way he put people at ease, his colleagues said. And sometimes the laughs were unintentional.

Lawrence recalled working a third shift at the jail with his friend several years back. After doing their rounds, they ducked into the weight room, where Yates began doing squats.

“The next thing I heard was a tear, like paper ripping,” Lawrence said. “I looked over, and he dropped the weight real quick and put his hand behind his backside and said, ‘I just ripped my pants.’ Then he took off out of there. I never saw him move so quick. By the time the next checks rolled around, he had stapled up his pants so it looked like something out of a Frankenstein movie. I had tears in my eyes.”

Yates is survived by his wife, Tracy; a daughter, A’kaylehana, known as AK; and two sons, Anthony Reed and Andrew Reed. Matt and Tracy both graduated from Clark State College’s Peace Officer Academy. Tracy left law enforcement, but Matt eventually landed at the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, where his father, Eugene, had served for many years.

Loney, whose father also served in the sheriff’s office, knew Matt when they were kids and remembers how often they talked about following their fathers into law enforcement: “Matt was destined to wear the badge.”

Even more than his commitment to law enforcement, however, Deputy Yates will be remembered for his devotion to his family, Loney said.

“He was definitely that type of guy. They always had all of his love and support. And at the same time, he wanted them to branch out, do lots of things on their own – to spread their wings, so to speak.”

His sons spoke at the funeral service, remembering their stepdad as “the only father they ever had,” a loving man who, by marrying their mother, “made their family whole.”

In addition to his wife, children and father, Yates leaves behind his mother, Lisa; two sisters; four brothers; and numerous extended family members and friends.

Clark State College has established a scholarship fund in his honor that will be supported by an annual basketball tournament organized by his friends at the sheriff’s office.

Deputy Daniel J. Kin, Wyandot County Sheriff's Office

Deputy Daniel J. Kin
Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office
End of Watch: Dec. 15, 2022
Memorial Wall: Panel 28

Daniel Kin had been with the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office for only a little more than a year when he died, but his personality was already a hallmark of the northwestern Ohio agency.

He was a welcome addition to the force, his colleagues said – fun, hard-working and down-to-earth. He loved the job, and it showed in his infectious smile.

“He was just a great fit for our office, and he won everybody's heart right off the bat,” Sheriff Todd Frey said. “I always describe Dan as a ray of sunshine. He had a passion for the job and a positive outlook on life. He could walk into any room and just brighten up everybody’s day.”

Deputy Kin was transporting a prisoner from southern Ohio to the county courthouse in Wyandot when he was fatally injured in a crash in Pickaway County. The accident occurred just west of Circleville, at State Routes 56 and 104. The department van that he was driving was headed north when it was struck on the driver’s door by a pickup truck going east on S.R. 56.

Deputy Kin was flown to Grant Medical Center in Columbus, where he died of his injuries at age 34. The prisoner suffered non-life-threatening injuries, and the pickup driver and a 4-year-old girl who was with him were treated at Columbus hospitals.

“We’re a small agency in a small community,” Frey said. “The people who work here see each other on a regular basis, so we’re close-knit – we’re family. When Dan passed away, we lost a dear family member.”

Upon joining the Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office in October 2021, Deputy Kin was assigned to the transport division. “He grew up in Wyandot County and graduated from Mohawk High School,” Frey said. “This was pretty much his dream job to be in his home county.”

Kin started in law enforcement with the Carey Police Department, then moved to the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office, where he was hired in 2010 and in 2020 was voted Deputy of the Year by his co-workers.

Nathan Frasure met Kin in 2008 while both attended the police academy at Terra State Community College in Fremont; they later worked together at the Seneca County Sheriff’s Office.

"I think you run out of words to describe somebody that good who has moved on at such an early age in life,” Frasure told WBNS-TV in Columbus. “I was very fortunate to cross paths with somebody like that in my life.”

Sheriff Frey said Deputy Kin always sought bigger challenges and, about a week before his death, had asked permission to work on a wanted-person case.

“He worked on the case like it was the biggest thing in the world, and he ended up locating the guy in Oklahoma,” the sheriff said. “So the day before his accident, he asks my detective, ‘If I find this guy, do you think the sheriff will let me go out and get him?’ And I told the detective that Dan would absolutely be the one to send out there. But the day after that, he passed away.

“Oklahoma authorities found the guy and arrested him, and we brought him back a few days later. Dan’s persistence obviously paid off. It was a great outcome, thanks to his hard work.”

The son of a farmer, Deputy Kin enjoyed a lifelong connection to the land. In high school, he was a member of the Future Farmers of America and served on the Wyandot County Junior Fair Board. As an adult, when he wasn’t in uniform, he was growing grain and raising livestock with his father, Franklin. He especially loved being outdoors, whether working with cattle, cutting firewood, collecting mushrooms or just enjoying wildlife.

Deputy Kin and his wife of six years, Erin, and their two young boys, Jaxon and Arlo, were members of Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church in Carey.

“He was a very devoted father, husband, son, brother and co-worker,” Frey said. “He was very passionate about his family.”

In addition to his wife, children and father, Deputy Kin is survived by six sisters – Jennifer Eckstein, Cassandra Sampsell, Stephanie Kitzler, Elizabeth Kin, Hillarie Kin and Roxie Kin – his father-in-law and brother-in-law, and a large extended family. His mother, Susan, preceded him in death.

Other officers lost in recent years

We also remember these Ohio peace officers who died in the line of duty and were honored in recent years:

2021202020192018

Brandon Stalker, Toledo Police Officer

Donald R. Gilreath, Hamilton County Deputy

Jason Lagore, Ohio Natural Resources Officer

Scott Dawley, Nelsonville Police Officer

Shane H. Bartek, Cleveland Police Officer

Kaia Grant, Springdale Police Officer

Kaia LaFay Grant
Springdale Police Department
End of watch: March 21, 2020

On Aug. 23, 2019, Officer Grant and a co-worker, Detective Ritchy Tuazon, ventured an hour north to Yellow Springs for a day focused on photography and mountain biking, hobbies they shared.

Officer Grant was fairly new to both. She had a brand-new mountain bike and a new riding outfit with matching helmet, but her love for adventure had been lifelong.

“She was a natural,” said Tuazon, a veteran mountain biker. He described one close encounter with a tight S-curve when Officer Grant was leading the way down a 13-mile trail.

“She’s going at great speed, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh no, she’s going to hit that tree,’” he recalled. “Moments before, she slams on the brakes, keeps her sightline. Dirt and leaves kick up — I wish I’d been recording it. But as soon as Kaia meets the tree, she plants her foot at the base and stops for one long second.

“Have you ever seen those people on skateboards and BMX bikes where they jump on a rail and freeze, and they hop off and they’re back in control? That’s exactly what she did. She had the skills of someone who had been riding for years.”

Officer Grant had a blast that day, and she and Tuazon talked about repeating such outings. “I’m going to get better and keep up with you on those hills,” Tuazon remembers her saying.

Setting goals and looking ahead were habits for Officer Grant. In college at William & Mary University in Virginia, where she majored in economics, Grant interned at the U.S. Senate, where she worked with, among others, now-President Joe Biden. She planned to go into politics.

She joined the Springdale PD after graduating and working with at-risk kids in Cincinnati. “Instead of going into the military and then going into politics, like many do, she wanted to serve the community versus serving in war,” Tuazon said.

Officer Grant wanted to get a master’s degree and, as a devoted pet owner, talked about opening a gym for humans and attached dog park, said Officer Michael DiStefano, a colleague who had attended the State Highway Patrol Academy with her.

“Sometimes this job defines people; it’s what they live and breathe,” DiStefano said. “Kaia was a cop, but it wasn’t her identity. She had her hand in so many things.”

The proud gearhead — “if it was a hobby that had gear and she could create a budget for it, she was gonna do it,” Tuazon said — spoke Spanish and Mandarin. She knew a martial art and how to use her weight in a tussle, and she was proficient with firearms. She was reserved, but her smile could light up a room.

“And in eight years, I never once saw her lose her temper,” DiStefano said. “Calm breeds calm in our world, which is why I think people never really tested her that way. It’s just that sense she put out there when she showed up at a scene.”

He recalled a night where the department was on alert for a possible suicidal person. A cellphone ping returned an unusually large search area, but after fruitlessly hunting, officers were close to giving up. That’s when Officer Grant found a fairly hidden parking garage basement. She called DiStefano for backup, and inside they located the woman. She had passed out in a car with a garden hose funneling exhaust inside.

“She would have died within a short time if Kaia hadn’t found her location, but she survived,” DiStefano said. “And Kaia was so humble about it. We were giving her a bunch of ‘atta-girls,’ and she just shrugged it off, like, ‘Hey, it’s my job.’”

Both DiStefano and Tuazon said fellow officers liked working alongside Officer Grant when there was trouble, and she skillfully handled domestic situations and mediating disputes.
“She was very good at being able to calm the victim,” Tuazon said. “And children just were able to communicate with her.”

Officer Grant served Springdale for seven years and seven months until, on March 21, 2020, a nearby department requested help pursuing a man wanted for breaking into a home and pistol whipping an occupant.

On Interstate 275, Officer Grant and a colleague were preparing to put down tire-deflation devices when the chase reached them. The fleeing driver veered from his course to target the officers and struck Officer Grant. The 33-year-old was air-lifted to a local hospital, but she didn’t make it.

The wanted man shot himself but survived and was set to plead guilty to aggravated murder.

After some time passed, Tuazon, who owns a photography business, reached out to the mother of a young man whose senior photos Officer Grant had helped take. They all had had such a good experience, he just wanted the mother to know what happened.

“I’m so fortunate to have met her,” the mother told him. “Kaia shed such light and energy, and it’s sad to lose such a beautiful person.”

“She got it exactly right,” Tuazon said.

Officer Grant, a native of Wyoming, Ohio, is survived by her mother, Gina R. Mobley; father and step-mother, Kevin and Lekesha Grant; several stepbrothers; many extended family members; dear friend Joe Haugh; her brothers and sisters in blue; and her beloved Basenji, a hunting dog she drove all the way to Georgia to pick up, whom she had named Athen.

Anthony Dia, Toledo Police Officer

Anthony Dia
Toledo Police Department
End of watch: July 4, 2020

At age 26, Officer Anthony Dia was still a young man, but he had already found a clarity of purpose that eludes many who live decades longer.

The officer, a married father of two young sons, dedicated his life to loving his family, following his faith and protecting his city.

“I lived a fulfilling life, and I accomplished all anyone could ask for,” Officer Dia wrote a couple of months before he was killed.

That letter, “My Final Words and Will to My Family,” came during Ramadan, a holy month observed by Muslims through fasting, prayer and reflection.

He had a sense that he was going to be leaving soon, explained Imam Sayed Al-Qazwini, founder of the Islamic Institute of America in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, which Officer Dia’s family sometimes attended.

“Every day I put on the uniform,” Officer Dia wrote, “it was with the intention to protect the innocent and the weak in my community from evil.”

He would have celebrated two years with the Toledo Police Department a couple of weeks after he died and had previously spent two years as an officer for the Mercy Health System Police.

“Anthony was the example of a fine officer,” his supervisor, Lt. Joe Trudeau, told Police Chief George Kral. “He never — and I can honestly say the word never — had anything negative to say about anyone or anything.”

Chief Kral read those comments at Officer Dia’s funeral, describing the man as a consummate professional who always took time to greet people on the streets, especially children. In fact, two hours before he was killed, the officer stopped at a gas station where he let a couple of kids sit in his patrol car and sound the siren. Their family snapped photos — the last taken of the officer.

“If I had 50 Dias on my shift, I would take them all, knowing that everything would be done right and we would be a happy shift,” Chief Kral quoted Lt. Trudeau as saying. “I’m proud to have served with him.”

The officer graduated from police academies twice, first at Owens Community College and later the Toledo Police Department’s own academy. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz pointed out that Dia had chosen to become a law enforcement officer during troubled times for the profession.

“He knew what was going on in this country, and he chose to do it anyway because of his loyalty and his love for our community,” Kapszukiewicz said.

Outside of the job he loved, Officer Dia focused on his large family. In addition to his wife and sons, ages 6 and 8, he had a wealth of siblings, cousins and other relatives, including in Lebanon, from which his ancestors emigrated years ago. Officer Dia was born in Toledo.

The officer enjoyed wrestling and coaching the sport; Brazilian jiujitsu; cheering on the Los Angeles Rams; and animals, especially pit bulls.

He met his wife, Jayme, at a concert when he was 16. In the letter to his family, the graduate of Bedford High School called her the love of his life and apologized for not saying it more often; he also encouraged his sons to be proud of their religion.

“For all non-Muslims, look at the example of Officer Anthony Dia when you think of a Muslim in your mind,” Imam Al-Qazwini said at the funeral. “When you think of Islam, think of this man who gave his life on the Fourth of July to defend the values of the United States.”

On the evening that he was killed, Officer Dia answered a call to check on an intoxicated man in a Home Depot parking lot, the site of an informal car show. The officer arrived expecting to help the man.

Instead, the man refused Officer Dia’s overture and walked away, pulling a handgun and firing over his shoulder as he went. The bullet hit an area of the officer’s chest not covered by his protective vest; still, Officer Dia managed to fire back.

“He did everything perfectly,” Chief Kral said. “He positioned his cruiser in a tactical position. He approached the suspect in the correct manner, and the tragedy happened anyway.”
The shooter rushed into nearby woods and fatally shot himself.

Officer Dia’s last words were to the dispatcher: “Tell my family I love them.”

He is survived by his wife of eight years, Jayme; sons Younes and Maytham; father, Younes “Tony” Dia, and stepmother, Jehan Dia; mother, Gina Long, and stepfather, Frank Hoover; five siblings and step-siblings; many more family members; and his brothers and sisters in blue.

James Skernivitz, Cleveland Police Detective

James M. Skernivitz
Cleveland Division of Police
End of watch: Sept. 3, 2020

Detective James “Skern” Skernivitz didn’t grow up dreaming about becoming a police officer. He ended up applying for a job with the Cleveland Police Division as part of a favor for a friend.

According to a story told by his wife, Kristen Kilburg, and relayed by a chaplain at the detective’s funeral, a buddy from Pittsburgh was planning a trip to Cleveland in 1998, hoping to land a job with CPD. But he was nervous about driving downtown.

Skernivitz made an offer: “Come to my house, and I’ll take you.” Rather than just sitting in his car and waiting, he decided to take the civil service exam, too. After all, he liked helping people.

“On his application, for reasons for becoming a police officer, he wrote: ‘I want to protect the city I grew up in and make it safe,’” Chief Calvin Williams said at the funeral. “Jimmy also wrote, ‘I want to work as part of a team in doing that.’

“He was a consummate team player,” the chief said of Skern, who went on to graduate from the division’s police academy in June 1998 and serve in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th neighborhood policing districts. As a detective in 2013, he joined the Gang Impact Unit, which achieved dramatic reductions in violence and guns on Cleveland’s East Side.

“Jim wouldn’t be happy with all of this attention,” his wife said via Father Doug Brown, the chaplain who led Detective Skernivitz’s funeral. “He was a guy who liked to be in the background, but he helped everyone else shine.”

Although he did not seek recognition throughout his 22-year career, Detective Skernivitz earned it. He was recognized dozens of times with special commendations and service medals for taking violent criminals off the streets – and pleased community members wrote to thank him.

“What he did out there for our city was to try to lift — not individuals, not neighborhoods, not groups — but an entire city to a higher, more noble life,” Chief Williams said.
The career that Detective Skernivitz hadn’t aspired to turned out to be one he never wanted to leave, even as he approached 25 years of service, his wife said through a letter that was read aloud at the funeral.

On Sept. 2, 2020, he was sworn in as an FBI task force officer for Operation Legend, a federal effort to fight crime surging across the country.

“As a veteran officer, he didn’t have to take on that dangerous mission,” U.S. Attorney General William Barr said at Detective Skernivitz’s funeral. “He could have let someone else do it, especially given the risks to police officers these days. But once again, he volunteered.”

The detective was a policeman’s policeman who rarely took a day — or night — off work.

About 10 p.m. the day after he joined the task force, he was meeting with one of his informants, Scott Dingess, in an unmarked car in Cleveland’s Stockyards neighborhood. Three males — a 15-yearold, a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old — approached and shot the detective and Dingess, apparently hoping to rob them.

Both died that night. Detective Skernivitz, 53, had three children, the youngest 19; Dingess was 50 and a father of five. Compounding the tragedy, another Cleveland policeman, Officer Nicholas Sabo, a seven-year veteran and 39-year-old father of four, took his own life a few hours later while off-duty.

The three shooters have been charged and await trial.

Detective Skernivitz had protected his family from realizing the danger that he faced every day, his wife said via the chaplain. “At home, he was just Dad — no frills, no fanfare, just Dad.”

He was a master prescriber of nicknames who enjoyed concerts, sporting events and travel. He worked as an usher and in security at Progressive Field, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and other venues in northeastern Ohio. A favorite part-time gig was providing security at presidential rallies throughout the country.

Detective Skernivitz played softball for many years in East Coast tournaments with the Steel City Enforcers, and every year he and his brother, Greg, journeyed to Las Vegas to watch the Police Softball World Series. Their first stop was always the Double Down Saloon for a drink and some ’80s heavy metal.

The Brecksville resident is survived by his wife of 23 years; their children, daughter Bayleigh and son Peyton; his son Matthew Collecchi; his mother, Sandy; his brother, Greg; many other family members and friends; and his brothers and sisters in blue.

Adam McMillan, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Corporal

Adam McMillan
Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
End of watch: Oct. 23, 2020

One decorated Christmas tree was never enough for Cpl. McMillan.

Five seemed more appropriate to the man who routinely embraced joy in his daily life and spread it to others. One of his holiday-decorating goals seemed to be outdoor lights visible for blocks, and he relished watching vehicles slow down in front of his home so the humans inside could gape.

Cpl. McMillan loved arranging his decorations just so, giving gifts and, most of all, bringing family and friends together for Christmas. Halloween received a similar treatment.

The mischievous, adventurous corporal also loved bicycle riding, primitive camping, traveling, pencil drawing, collecting family and World War II memorabilia, ribbing friends and playing practical jokes. He appreciated history, traditions, Jeeps, animals — he took allergy medicine so he could keep pets — and beautiful fall days.

“He would call me before we would start work and be like: ‘Jason, today’s going to be a good day. It’s going to be beautiful out,’” said Cpl. Jason Hovekamp, one of Cpl. McMillan’s best friends and a co-worker at the sheriff ’s office.

“Every birthday, he would invite me over and cook meals and have presents,” Cpl. Hovekamp recalled at the funeral. “Well, I was one of the first deputies to have the new Charger in the fleet. We both loved that car. He made me a cake that looked just like that police cruiser, with lights on it and my car number. Just to see his face light up — he was so proud of that cake.

“I asked how long it took, and he said, ‘Oh, only like six or seven hours’ — like that was no big deal.”

Cpl. McMillan brought the same sense of ease and big heart to his 19 years at the sheriff ’s office.

“Adam was a leader and a professional dedicated to providing service to his community,” then-Sheriff Jim Neil said at the funeral in October 2020. “He had an endless desire to do his job to the best of his abilities.”

The corporal was recognized four times with sheriff’s commendations — for heroic efforts, saving lives and arresting criminals — and residents had written the sheriff’s office dozens of times to thank him for his help.

“Being a deputy sheriff did not define Adam,” Cpl. Hovekamp said. “But his undeniable character and qualities led to him being a decorated and celebrated deputy sheriff.”

His family and friends described Cpl. McMillan as naturally considerate. He made it a priority to be a gentleman, always thanked dispatchers and believed in the Golden Rule. He was kind not just to his family and friends, or even just to the public that he was paid to help.

“He was the kind of guy who asked the person in the drive-thru window how their day was going, and he always left them with a ‘thank you’ and a ‘have a good one,’ ” said Pastor Tim Kufeldt at Cpl. McMillan’s funeral. “He was best friends with his wife, Emily, before they married, during their marriage and even after their divorce.”

Cpl. McMillan took care of elderly neighbors and once purchased a new backpack for a homeless man he had noticed living under an overpass. The officer stocked that bag with items that would make living on the streets easier, Cpl. Hovekamp said.

The Rev. Steve Angi, a Cincinnati police chaplain, said that the corporal used his role with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office as a way to channel his kind-heartedness.

“The field of law enforcement was a natural outlet for his desire to help people,” Angi said at the funeral. “God gave Adam the outgoing personality, physical strength, intelligence, good judgment, passion and stick-to-it-iveness needed to be successful in law enforcement. It was his calling to protect us, to help us laugh … and lift us up.”

McMillan, a 2000 graduate of the Great Oaks police academy and a fourth-generation law enforcement officer, was valedictorian of his class at the corrections academy he also attended. He aced traffic-accident reconstruction school in 2014 and scored almost perfectly on the promotional exam that made him a corporal in 2017.

At the time of his death, Cpl. McMillan was a trained flight observer for the aviation unit and was assigned to the traffic safety division. On Oct. 8, 2020, he was on patrol when he was involved in a chain-reaction crash at the intersection of Eight Mile Road and Beechmont Avenue. Cpl. McMillan’s cruiser crashed into a bus.

The 42-year-old officer suffered a serious head injury and spent two weeks unconscious and in critical condition before succumbing to his injuries. He was an organ donor.

“I’ve never met anybody in my entire life who was as selfless as Adam was,” his brother-in-law, Jon Hilgeford, said at the funeral. “It’s not a surprise that he was an organ donor and that he gave life with his death. His passing, as tragic as it was, allowed others to live.”

Cpl. McMillan is survived by his father, Kevin McMillan; mother and stepfather, Rebecca and John Schweizer; sister, Golf Manor Police Officer Erin McMillan, and Hilgeford; many more family members and friends; and his law enforcement family.

Dale Woods, Colerain Township Police Officer

Dale J. Woods
Colerain Township Police Department
End of watch: Jan. 7, 2019

When Dale Woods was a boy, he wanted to be a policeman and a firefighter. He grew up to be both, and more.

“ ‘To serve and protect’ was more than a motto to him,” Colerain Township Police Chaplain James Love said at Officer Woods’ funeral. “Let me count the ways in which he served: He served as a firefighter with Colerain, a fire investigator with North College Hill. He was a police officer with North College Hill; worked with dispatch; a police officer with Lincoln Heights; worked with animal control; a firearms instructor; and, as a Colerain police officer, he was part of the honor guard, bike patrol, quick response team, missing person team, SWAT team and a detective.…

“He only got jobs in which he was serving other people,” the chaplain said. “That’s all he ever chose.”

And the residents of the communities that Officer Woods served were grateful. Just a couple of hours before the father of three was fatally struck by a pickup truck, a man called to thank the officer for saving his baby the previous summer from a locked and sweltering car.

“When we hire police officers, we often say, ‘Bring me a good person, and I can turn him into a good cop,’” said Chief Mark Denney of the Colerain Police Department, where Officer Woods worked since 2003. “But every once in a while, you run into a natural police officer.

“You run into someone who was born with bravery, common sense, knowing how to talk to people with respect and how to handle stressful situations without having to be taught. Those are the ones who run into gunfire, into burning buildings and run through brick walls for people they’ve never met before.

“That was Dale Woods.”

The chief ’s description isn’t hyperbole. In September 2018, Officer Woods actually did run into a burning building to save a blind resident, who had assumed she would never escape. Officer Woods was honored with the Colerain Police Department’s Lifesaving Award for that act. His record includes multiple medals of valor, letters of commendation and awards of appreciation.

He was the kind of officer who saved lives.

“He was also the kind of man,” Chief Denney said, “who would place brand new police officers in his car and make them listen to the most God-awful music ever created as he trained them to be cops.”

Music was more than an amusing torture device for Officer Woods, who was a drummer. He played with two drum and bugle corps, Cincinnati Tradition and Limited Edition; at John Wesley United Methodist Church; and with the bands at Colerain middle and high schools.

In his spare time, Officer Woods ran an auto-detailing business, Details by Dale, and enjoyed bodybuilding and golf. He was reportedly so good at the latter that he was regarded as a “professional” at Cincinnati’s Clovernook Country Club, where he was a member.

“To say Dale just enjoyed golf is an understatement,” Chaplain Love said.

Yet the officer wasn’t one to brag about his skills or feats, or those of his children — Trinity, Hallie and Collin — of whom he was especially proud.

“I had the privilege of knowing Dale for 32 years,” Chief Denney said at Officer Woods’ funeral. “In the first two or three years, we ran in different circles and weren’t what I would consider friends. He said maybe 10 or 15 words to me.

“But then I look back, and the remaining 29 years, I’m not sure he said much more than that,” Chief Denney continued. “But you never doubted his friendship. He had a remarkable ability for gaining friendships and earning respect without saying very much.”

On Jan. 4, 2019, Officer Woods was quietly going about his job on a rainy night. He was placing cones on Colerain Avenue to direct traffic around an accident scene when a passing pickup struck him.

The 46-year-old officer was rushed to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he died three days later. He was an organ donor, who in death saved a few more Cincinnati-area residents, according to the LifeCenter Organ Donor Network.

Officer Woods was survived by his children, Trinity, 22, Hallie, 19, and Collin, 15; his mother, Ann Woods (Rex Corn); girlfriend, Beckie Saylor; sister, Dori Marcotte; and many friends, other family members and fellow first responders.

“Dale lived a short life,” said Colerain Township Trustee Raj Rajagopol, a former deputy sheriff and friend of Officer Woods’. “But all the life he lived was for others, sacrificing.”

Bill Brewer, Clermont County Deputy Sheriff

William L. Brewer Jr.
Clermont County Sheriff’s Office
End of watch: Feb. 2, 2019

Detective Bill Brewer loved his wife, loved his 8-year-old son and loved that his job centered on protecting people.

“He actually — it sounds cliché — but he truly enjoyed helping people,” said Detective Adam Bailey, who had been friends with Detective Brewer since both were seventh-graders. “He was just a normal guy trying to make a difference in society.”

Detective Brewer had been trying to make a difference since joining the Clermont County Sheriff ’s Office as a corrections officer in 1998. He became a deputy in 2006 and, in 2015, joined the Special Response Team, the office’s SWAT team. He saw that role as another way to be of assistance, to other officers and to people on perhaps the worst day of their lives.

“This would be the guy I would want to show up if my family members were in need,” Sheriff Steve Leahy said at the detective’s funeral.

Through the years, Detective Brewer was commended for actions such as finding a child lost in Stonelick State Park and catching a knife-wielding man who was chasing the daughter of a local police chief.

“Bill could always be counted on to do the right thing,” Sheriff Leahy said. “Knowing he was around just made me feel better.”

The detective’s personnel file was packed with thank-you notes from residents he’d helped, including an elderly man whose car was egged on a freezing-cold night. Brewer and his partner not only took a police report but also cleaned the man’s car.

“He was a huge team player, and he thought that everybody else should be a team player, too,” Detective Bailey said.

The cooperative attitude likely stemmed from Detective Brewer’s starring roles on his high school sports teams. At Williamsburg High School, the quarterback made the First Team All-District in 1993, 1994 and 1995 and broke school records for touchdown passes in a season (54) and passing yards in a season (2,046). He played four years of varsity basketball and, in baseball, made the All League team in 1994.

“Even though he had all kinds of sports accolades and records, he was humble,” said Detective Bailey, who played football with Brewer. “He didn’t flaunt it or act like he was better than anyone else.”

After high school, Brewer went on to play a year of football at Cumberland University in Kentucky before transferring to the University of Cincinnati and earning an associate degree. But when he became a father, he didn’t force his passion on his son.

“Braxton wasn’t big into playing sports, so that didn’t occupy their time,” Detective Bailey said.
“Bill and his family used their time to go out and make memories in different places – Gatlinburg, Disney World, state parks, water parks, museums. They were big on just creating experiences and making memories.”

Detective Brewer and his son collected Hot Wheels, and the whole family – including Brewer’s wife and Braxton’s mother, Jamie – had wide-ranging music tastes, with R&B and rap being their favorites. The detective liked any food he could put ketchup on and had a penchant for using the word “reference.” For example, Bailey recalled: “Reference yesterday’s conversation.”

As a stay-at-home mom, Jamie Brewer was there to capture the family adventures.
“She took thousands and thousands of pictures of them,” Detective Bailey said. “Their walls are covered, and that is so nice going to their house and seeing those pictures of all of them together.

“It was like God told her – you know, whispered to her: ‘Hey, Bill might not be around forever, so take as many pictures as you can.’ And she did.”

Their photos became all the more poignant after Detective Brewer, 42, was killed in an ambush.

On Feb. 2, 2019, a young man called 911 twice, first with a fake robbery report and then to say he was suicidal. The man fired his gun when deputies arrived at his apartment, prompting the SRT, including Detective Brewer, to respond.

When the man faked shooting himself, Detective Brewer and Lt. Nick DeRose entered the apartment, intending to give aid. That’s when the man shot through a wall, killing the detective and wounding the lieutenant (who has recovered and returned to work).

The shooter was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Detective Brewer left behind Jamie Hensley Brewer, his wife of 13 years, and their son, Braxton; his parents, William Sr. and Angie Brewer; his brother, Michael Brewer; his parents-in-law, James and Mary Noll; several nieces and nephews; and his brothers and sisters in blue.

Jorge Del Rio, Dayton Police Detective

Jorge R. Del Rio
Dayton Police Department
End of watch: Nov. 7, 2019

At a career point when many officers have retired or are getting ready to, 55-year-old Detective Jorge Del Rio was working undercover and leading the charge while executing search warrants.

When he was fatally shot by drug suspects, the married father of five had been with Dayton police for almost 30 years, including 19 years assigned to a Drug Enforcement Administration task force. In that role, the detective had the same powers as a DEA agent, working undercover not only in his home city but throughout the United States.

As some of his colleagues put it: He was a true shadow warrior.

“He never shied away from difficult challenges or dangerous situations, serving on the front lines of our fight for justice and for our country,” Special Agent in Charge Keith Martin, who leads the region’s DEA teams, said at the detective’s funeral.

The undercover work of Detective Del Rio – a native of Mexico City raised by a single mom in East Chicago, Indiana – was so skilled, it was said to be unfair to bad guys, said Special Agent Steven Miller, who leads the DEA office in Dayton.

“In reality, the opposite was true as he had an uncommonly strong sense of justice and fairness,” Miller said at the funeral, illustrating his point with a story about a sting in which Detective Del Rio posed as a drug supplier (with simplified drug amounts).

“To ensure it was fair, Jorge and the case manager decided beforehand that Jorge would say (to the drug dealers), ‘Look, if you can only sell 1 kilogram, then take 1 kilogram. But if you can take 2 and that’s normal for you, then take 2,’” Miller said.

“This was an important gesture because the difference between taking 1 and 2 kilograms would effectively double the jail time for the suspect. Jorge explained that ‘Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that it’s the right thing to do. The badge is only as good as the man or woman standing behind it.’”

During his career, Detective Del Rio was commended for acts that included saving a drowning 14-year-old who had driven into the Great Miami River; helping to arrest the man who shot and wounded Officer Timothy Reboulet in 1995; preventing the murder-for-hire of two people through a reverse sale of a firearm, a silencer and explosives; and recovering 7 kilos of cocaine, half a kilo of heroin and $200,000 in cash in a single case.

A poster that Del Rio kept on an office wall said, “Courage: Being scared to death but saddling up anyway.”

“He left a legacy of service and sacrifice to this noble profession that is rare even among the best of us,” Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl said.

The detective was also funny, warmhearted and dedicated to his family.

“When he was not at work, he was with his family,” Chief Biehl said. “When he was at work, he spoke fondly about his family.”

He met his wife, Kathy, in 1986, when both worked at an Elder-Beerman’s department store. They went on to have five daughters: Ariel, Ericka, Veronica, Naya and Dana. Colleagues referred to the detective and his girls as Del Rio and the Del Rio-ettes. He used to proudly recount their achievements, including how they excelled when their father, a firearms enthusiast, taught them to shoot.

Friends said Detective Del Rio had an infectious laugh, incredible luck finding good parking spots and a love for sharing meals — or, as he liked to say, “breaking bread like a gentleman.” There was no fast food, no hurrying, no eating in the car.

On Nov. 7, 2019, Detective Del Rio died at Grandview Hospital, three days after being shot twice. He had been serving a search warrant at a Dayton residence and leading a group of officers down a stairway into a basement.

He left behind a wealth of admiring colleagues and friends as well as his family: his wife, Kathy, who is blind; daughters Ariel Del Rio Busch (Steven), Erica Hampton (Devin), Veronica Del Rio and Naya Del Rio; and granddaughters Aliyah Shafeek, Luna Hampton and Santana Busch. He was preceded in death by his mother, Beatriz Hernandez, and daughter Dana Shafeek.

Three men have been indicted on charges that carry the death penalty in Detective Del Rio’s death. As a result of the search warrant, officers seized 10 kilograms of fentanyl, more than 50 pounds of marijuana and $51,000 in cash.

Eric Joering, Westerville Police Officer

Eric J. Joering
Westerville Division of Police
End of watch: Feb. 10, 2018

“Selfless” would be one way to describe Police Officer Eric J. Joering, said Guy Cerino, his good friend and fellow officer at the Westerville Division of Police. “Generous” would be another.

“It’s hard to try to say one thing about him or describe him in one word,” Cerino said. “To find that word — I can’t. It’s many.”

Joering was a guy who would bring in the best cuts of the deer he’d hunted to share with co-workers for dinner at the station. And a guy who drove 40 miles in the middle of the night to comfort Cerino after Cerino’s young son died of cancer.

“At work, if you came in and had a question, or you were working on a case and you needed his help, he always dropped what he was doing for you,” Cerino said.

He recalled one time in particular, when he himself was investigating a hit-skip suspect and Joering was a detective focused on crimes involving juveniles. Joering put aside his heavy workload, Cerino said, to help him decipher what a thick packet of cell-tower data showed about the suspect.

“Eric would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it; if you needed money, he’d give you money,” said Cerino, who was hired in 2001, the same year that Joering was. “And that was the kind of person he was.”

During his years at the division, Joering received dozens of commendations, including seven Exceptional Duty awards. One of the most notable came after he helped the FBI and police departments on both coasts recover $3 million worth of jewelry stolen from a vendor passing through Westerville.

Sgt. Tony Rudd, who supervised Joering in the detective bureau, called him an expert in police tactics and weapons. He helped Rudd choose a rifle and navigate the complicated, seven-month process of obtaining federal approval to carry it at work.

Joering also served as a training officer, a firearms trainer and a street cop. After his stint as a detective, he became a K9 officer partnered with a Belgian Malinois named Sam.

Working with police dogs was Joering’s dream job, former Westerville Police Chief Joe Morbitzer has said.

Joering, who lived with his family outside Centerburg, also loved hunting, four-wheeling, scuba diving and being outdoors. He and his wife, Jami, enjoyed spending time on their boat and going on double dates with Cerino and his wife. The Joerings’ three young daughters — Eva, Elena and Ella — can be called proud daddy’s girls.

“They’re at that age where doing anything with Dad intrigued them,” Cerino said. “So if Dad’s hunting, they were like, ‘I want to go hunting with Dad. I want to spend time with Dad.’”

In a thank-you video to the Westerville community in 2018, Jami described how Sam and the girls would pile onto Joering when he sat in his recliner in the evenings. The chair, she said, is still the favorite place to curl up for Sam, who has lived with the family since the Westerville Police Division retired him after Joering’s death.

“There’s nothing better than those three girls getting to be with that dog,” said Morbitzer, now superintendent of the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

On Feb. 10, Joering and Police Officer Anthony P. Morelli were dispatched to a home on a domestic-violence call. After they were let in, a man opened fire. Both officers were hit and fired at the shooter, wounding him. Joering, 39, died at the scene.

Franklin County is seeking the death penalty for the shooter, who, as a felon, shouldn’t have had a gun.

Joering is survived by his wife and three daughters; his mother-in-law, Terri Seligman; his parents, Jim and Lillian Joering; his brother, Michael (Jen); his police family; and many friends.

Cerino attributes one of the best experiences he had with his son, Jaret, to the Joering family.

He had gone to the Joerings’ home to do something — maybe help refinish the basement or chop wood, he couldn’t recall — and the Joerings decided late in the afternoon to invite the rest of Cerino’s family to come from their Grove City home for dinner.

Cerino’s son, Jaret — about 3 years old at the time and battling cancer — begged for a ride on Officer Joering’s four-wheeler. “I wasn’t going to say no,” Cerino said. “And Eric wasn’t going to say no.”

Cerino put Jaret in front of him and would press the throttle to make it get up and go, and let off, and press the throttle and let off. Jaret couldn’t get enough.

“At that moment in time, our son had no cares in the world,” Cerino said. “I’ll never forget that day, because of Eric, and I still thank him for it. … He was very generous.”

Tony Morelli, Westerville Police Officer

Anthony P. Morelli
Westerville Division of Police
End of watch: Feb. 10, 2018

The countdown to retirement was underway for Officer Anthony “Tony” Pasquale Morelli and four of his fellow officers at the Westerville Division of Police.

The five had started on the same day in 1988. They’d gone through the State Highway Patrol Academy together. They’d vacationed together. They’d joked that their kids would grow up to marry each other. And they’d all signed on to the deferred retirement program.

Using an app on his cellphone, Sgt. Tony Rudd was counting off the days, hours and even the seconds until April 27, 2021.

“The ‘Fab Five’ were all going to go out and have one giant party,” Rudd said.

Then Feb. 10 happened.

“I remember looking at that app, and it made me sick,” Rudd said. “So I deleted it for good.

“It took tragedy,” he continued, “to wake me up to the fact that — you know what? — tomorrow’s not guaranteed. We all need to make the most of every day.”

By all accounts, Officer Morelli always did.

“Since 1988, any story that I have told — the best times that I’ve had as an adult — inevitably Tony Morelli is part of that story,” said retired Training Officer Dave King, who started a month before the Fab Five and was close friends with them.

Morelli, a father of two, loved his family; the Massillon Tigers (and sharing how he’d played football there with OSU star Chris Spielman); baseball (his team was the Boston Red Sox); AC/DC (he’d play air guitar to “You Shook Me All Night Long”); and working out.

He joined charity runs and races such as the Warrior Dash with his daughter, Beth; wife, Linda; and anyone else he could coax into joining him. He enjoyed golfing with his son, Chris.

“My favorite memories are tailgating with Tony at Ohio State football games,” said Officer Jeff Dixon. “That was his favorite place to be in the world early on a Saturday morning.

“He would always welcome anybody who wanted to come. They always had the food and the drinks and just wanted you to show up. Wouldn’t take a penny from anybody.”

Dixon got to know Morelli when they worked first shift together, after Morelli’s kids grew up and he started volunteering to work on Christmas. That meant Dixon and other officers got to spend the holiday with their young children.

Morelli also worked special duty at the Westerville Library, taught self-defense classes for women, and spent a few years as a school resource officer. He was well-liked in Westerville, where he also lived.

In his 30 years with the police division, he was voted officer of the year in 2003 and 2012, was honored with a Medal of Valor and received many other awards.

One resident wrote to thank Morelli for saving 10 baby ducks from a sewer. Another wouldn’t have sent a thank-you: The 80-year-old woman got annoyed when, after a well-being check, Morelli bought her groceries because she didn’t have any food. She gave him a hard time for picking out sliced turkey.

Colleagues enjoyed working with Morelli, and not just for the fun.

“Especially when we were young, everybody wanted to catch the bad guy,” King said. “So if there was a robbery, no one wanted to go to the scene and catch the paper on it, because that’s not fun. But Tony would always step up and do the right thing” and take on the less exciting parts of the job, such as writing the report.

King recounted how Morelli memorized every Westerville street, even ones in odd corners, when they were new to the job.

“He never wanted to be the guy who didn’t know the answer.”

Morelli’s friends said he could be critical of his bosses’ decisions.

“I can’t tell you how many arguments we got into at roll calls, and I had to clear the room because he and I were going at it,” Rudd said. “Then we’d hang out together. It was like having a brother.”

Three days after Morelli’s 54th birthday, on Feb. 10, he and K9 Officer Eric Joering were dispatched to a home where a gunman ambushed them. Both officers were hit and fired back, wounding the shooter.

Morelli died at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center.

“Tony was the second guy through the doorway that day, and he probably could have retreated out of there,” Rudd said. “But there’s no way — that’s not Tony.”

Morelli is survived by Linda, his wife of almost 29 years; Elizabeth, his daughter, who married Danny Frank in June 2018; Christopher, his son; his parents, Anthony and Carolyn Morelli; brothers David (Ramneet) and Michael; nieces and nephews Sukhjit, Jasjit, Simi and Lucas; and friends in Westerville and Massillon.

“He was full of life, and every day was something special to him,” Rudd said. “The thing is, you don’t realize how much you’ve lost until he’s gone.”

Mat Mazany, Mentor Police Officer

Mathew J. Mazany
Mentor Police Department
End of watch: June 24, 2018

Patrolman Mathew “Mat” Mazany was a throwback kind of cop.

He didn’t believe in writing long, extravagant police reports, or in being politically correct every second of his shift. He’d tell you how it was, and then he’d move on.

“When I say Mat was an old-school cop, I don’t call into question his ability or knowledge to do the job,” retired Mentor Police Sgt. Scott Tkach, who supervised Mazany for six years, said at his funeral.

“He knew what he was doing, and he did it well. He just did it a little bit different from most of us.”

Police work was in Mazany’s genes. His father was a police officer for 50 years in the Army and, later, in Maple Heights. From a young age, Mazany knew he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps.

“If you knew Mat, Mat would never fight for himself when we were in school,” his best friend, Jamie Bassell, said at the funeral. “But if someone else was getting in trouble or someone else was getting bullied, Mat was the first one to step in. That’s the kind of person he was.”

The Mentor resident could also be charming, and his sense of humor cracked up friends and family members.

He was a devoted family man described by his son, also named Mat, as a nerd of sorts.

“Star Wars, Marvel, Transformers, ‘Metal Gear’ — he loved it all,” his son, 20 at the time, said at his father’s funeral.

The two were known to discuss the politics of the Clone Wars from Star Wars, and Officer Mazany’s ringtone played the introduction to the video game “Metal Gear Solid.”

Of course, it’s easy to see that a big portion of Officer Mazany’s attraction to these “nerd” games and movies was spending time with his son.

The elder Mazany also loved cigars, sports cars, his motorcycle and his wife of 22 years, Lisa. And he loved being a cop and working with his fellow officers in the Cleveland suburb of Mentor.

In his 14 years with the department, Mazany worked 12-hour midnight shifts. He was honored with the department’s Exceptional Service Award, and Mentor residents had written the department about his professionalism and compassion.

“Mentor was a safer place and the Mentor PD was a better police department because of Mat,” Tkach said.

Early on June 24, 2018, a Mentor police officer had pulled over a person wanted in another jurisdiction, and Officer Mazany, 41, arrived to assist. As he began to approach the vehicle, a Jeep struck him and drove off.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital but didn’t survive.

The driver of the Jeep was located a few hours later. The man — who, tests showed, had alcohol, heroin and fentanyl in his system — was charged with second-degree aggravated vehicular homicide, among other counts.

Besides his wife and son, Mazany is survived by his father, Michael S. Mazany; siblings, Michael J. Mazany (Danica) and Cindy Bradshaw; nephew, Alexander Devine; niece, Ashley Derda; friends; and his brothers in blue.

“His love was truly unconditional,” Bassell said. “It really pains me that Mat won’t be able to watch his son grow into a man. He’ll never have that drink with him for his 21st birthday.”

Vu Nguyen, Cleveland Police Officer

Vu X. Nguyen
Cleveland Division of Police
End of watch: July 6, 2018

To understand what kind of man Police Officer Vu Nguyen was, consider this story, which doesn’t even center on him:

The Cleveland Police Athletic League throws an annual Christmas party to treat thousands of children to games, gifts and lunch. Nguyen had volunteered every year, so, for the organizers, the gathering on Dec. 1, 2018 — the first without him — took on a somber note.

But it didn’t go off without a Nguyen.

The officer’s 15-year-old daughter, Kayla, a high-school sophomore, got up early on that Saturday and spent eight hours straight helping children pick out gifts in the toy tent.

“Not one complaint,” said Cleveland Police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia, who went through the police academy with Officer Nguyen and lives next door to the family. “Kayla’s a lot like her dad in that respect. She likes to be able to make somebody smile.”

Nguyen’s mission in life was to make others smile, especially his wife, Holli, and their two daughters — Maya is seven years younger than Kayla. The girls soaked up his selflessness and his positive outlook.

“Literally all he wanted was for his family to be happy,” Ciaccia said. “But he also somehow managed to touch so many people’s lives and make a difference by being himself and being present and engaged.”

The Avon resident spent 20 years working the streets for the Cleveland Police Department. He was a popular officer, with commendations in his file including a Medal of Heroism and a special thanks from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force.

Nguyen took police tactics seriously, just as he did the people he protected.

Detective Aaron Reese, Nguyen’s partner for more than six years, said he was the kind of officer who, if he was called to a single mom’s home and found the refrigerator low on food, would go buy the family groceries using his own money.

In fact, the Nguyen family dog was a rescue Nguyen had found — sick and abandoned in an empty house — while on patrol.

With animals and people alike, Nguyen shared his big heart.

“It’s funny, because he made me take the sergeant’s exam,” Reese recalled. “I really had no desire to take the test, but he made me sign up for the prep course. … I took it, and here I am very close to getting promoted — and it’s all because of him. He was always looking out for me.”

Nguyen was known around his neighborhood for passing out popsicles and organizing games involving 20 or so children at the local pool.

“He was like a dad to everybody’s kids,” Ciaccia said.

The officer also loved to eat and loved to take his family on vacations.

Nguyen was one of 14 brothers and sisters who have spread throughout the country, providing excellent vacation opportunities. The family emigrated from Vietnam to the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood in 1975, when Vu was 5 years old. His family called him the fun sibling, and the strong one.

Which is why, in part, his death at age 50 came as such a shock.

On July 2, 2018, Nguyen collapsed in 90-degree heat during a canine-officer training exercise. In large part due to the exertion, he ended up suffering organ failure; he was put on life support and died four days later, on July 6, at Cleveland Clinic.

Nguyen is survived by Holli, to whom he was married for almost 18 years; daughters Kayla and Maya; siblings Tam (Ken), Phuong (Trung), Van (Linh), Hang (Larry), Hai (Terri), Son (Nancy), Nga (Thuy), Phong (My-Lan), Huyen, Lan (Le), Mai (John), Truc (Sulaiman) and Thao (Kekoa); and more than 30 nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by a young son, Devin Vu Nguyen, and his mother and father, a former police chief in Saigon.

“I would hope people just remember Vu as the guy who would give anything for anybody,” Ciaccia said. “He was completely selfless.”