2000 - 2009 Tributes For Police And Military K9 Handlers

Note :  Some of these tributes are for police canine officers that were killed in the line of duty and some for officers that died while off duty. Also included are military canine handlers that were killed during wars.

Flashing star on both sides of officer name indicates both officer and K9 were killed in line of duty  

K-9 Officer Rick Fred Opperud was  nationally known as a police dog trainer. Opperud, 47, died on the morning of 11/24/09 of complications from an aneurysm that burst while he was training drug dogs in Louisiana on Nov. 4 and rushed to Shreveport hospital. Opperud was then flown to Methodist Hospital in Houston, where he underwent surgery to repair the problem. He suffered several strokes and never recovered. He was in a Hospice care center for about two weeks. He was well known in the law enforcement community, especially among other K-9 officers. Richard "Rick" Fred Opperud II attended Danbury High School. He went to work for the Danbury Police Department in January, 1989 and joined the Freeport Police Department in November, 1989. He worked as a patrolman in Freeport until joining the sheriff's office as a jailer in 1992. He was moved to the patrol division later that year, and in 1996 was moved to the narcotics division. Opperud became a K-9 handler in 1998 with his first dog, Kubo. In 2000, Kubo was recognized as a police K-9 "Top Dog." Together, they were certified in narcotics, patrol, tracking, land and water cadaver recovery and explosive detection. Opperud was promoted to narcotics investigator in 2002. He later was partnered with Joe, until that K-9's retirement in 2009, when he began working with Erko. Opperud was a member of the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association, North American Police Work Dog Association, Texas Narcotics Officers Association, Brazoria County Peace Officers Association, Brazoria County Sheriff Deputies Association and a number of other law enforcement organizations. He was a certified trainer for the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association and served on its Board of Directors. He and his K-9 partner were certified by the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association in cadaver recovery and explosive detection and in patrol tactics, narcotics detection and tracking.  Deputy Opperud earned numerous awards for his dedication to law enforcement and his excellent canine training skills. He was selected as the Outstanding Peace Officer of the Year in 2004 by the Brazoria County Peace Officers Association. He received the Meritorious Achievement Awards in 2006 and 2009 from the National Narcotic Detector Dog Association.  Additionally he was honored by Narcotics Dog Detector Associations in Lake Jackson, Nacogdoches and Corpus Christi. Opperud leaves behind his wife Pam and two children, a son, Joshua ; and daughter, Amber Kay Opperud. Brazoria County Sheriff's Office Honor Guard presented American flags to Opperud's children, and the Brazoria County Cavalry, presented two Texas' flags to the family. Nearly 500 mourners attended his service to honor the lawman extraordinaire. 

SSGT. Rory Gavic, 25,  had entered the U.S. Air Force after graduating from Eagan High School in 2002.  He excelled as a military working dog (MWD) handler.  The Army Commendation Medal and the USAF Combat Action Medal were earned during the deployments to Iraq and Pakistan with a dog named Allan. SSGT. Gavic earned 16 awards and decorations including an Army Commendation Medal and a USAF Combat Action Medal. In 2008 he was awarded Airman of the Year  He had served well during two deployments, one in Iraq from February 2007 to September 2007 and another in Pakistan from January 2009 to March 2009. On Nov. 14, he called his mother, Linda Sawatzke, at home in Buffalo. She was worried and asked him to talk to her. He hung up. She tried calling back again and again, but there was no answer. Later, on  Nov. 16, 2009 Rory took his own life by shooting himself. He was stationed at Hill Air Force Base in Layton, Utah. Utah officials called Sawatzke to tell her they were searching for Gavic, who was missing from the base. His truck was found in Antelope Island State Park. Gavic's body was found the next day. He had shot himself. Left behind, his heartbroken mother. The program for the memorial service included a quote from Sawatzke. "Gavic, I love you more with every beat of my heart. I miss you so much my son and you have only been gone for a short while. My life and my heart have a missing piece that will not fill until I see you again." Around the four-year anniversary of Gavic's death they made a check on her at her home because she was having a hard time coping with her son's suicide and was not acting like herself. Sawatzke said she didn't mean to be rude, but she worked last night and worked later that day and asked her company if they would mind going home? The company said they would stay with her and she could sleep while the company would watch TV. No, Sawatzke said. I'll feel like I have to entertain you. The next day, on Nov. 16, four years later on the same date and month, Sawatzke had shot herself in the heart, the same as Gavic. She'd even used the same 9mm handgun. Her sister Rita had found her and tried to do CPR, but it was too late to save her. Sawatzke apparently had been planning her death for a long time. She'd recovered Gavic's belongings, including his personal weapon, from the sheriff's office in Utah. The papers Larsen had seen on the table were her own obituary and instructions for her funeral. Sawatzke and Gavic are buried side by side  at St. Francis Cemetary on a hill overlooking Buffalo,, Minnisota.

Spc. Brandon K. Steffey   

Brandon K. Steffey of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and his K9 Maci, died in Laghman province, Afghanistan, while on active duty supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Spc. Steffey, age 23, died October 25, 2009, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 178th Military Police Detachment, 89th Military Police Brigade, 111 Corps, Fort Hood, Texas. Spc. Steffey was serving his second tour of duty, having first served in Iraq.  He became a dog handler during his tour in Afghanistan. Steffey was a canine tracker handler for Forward Operating Base Fenty Kennel in the Laghman Province of Afghanistan. His dog Maci was trained to find militants who build, place and detonate IEDs. His wife, Andrea, and 18 month-old daughter Abigail survive him. Steffey’s decorations and  awards include the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal- Campaign Star, and Global War on Terrorism Service. Funeral services were held November 4, 2009 with full military honors.

 

Corporal Mike Roberts was shot and killed in the line of duty at 9:58 p.m. on August 19, 2009. Cpl. Roberts stopped  a suspicious person pushing a shopping cart full of items at Nebraska Avenue and Arctic Street in Florida. When Officer Roberts stopped Humberto Delgado, 34, of 324 W Country Club Dr. in Oldsmar, he ran from him and Officer Roberts then caught him and tried to use his Taser,  They began fighting again on the west side of Nebraska Avenue, when police say Delgado pulled out a gun and started beating Roberts with it. Then, he fired one shot with the 45 caliber. Roberts was wearing a bulletproof vest, but the bullet slipped through an area not covered by his bulletproof vest and went into the right side of his chest. The Tampa Police Departments requires all of its officers wear bullet proof vests while they're on duty. Police dispatch tried unsuccessfully to call Roberts, and five minutes later, Sergeant Paul Mumford was the first officer to arrived at the scene. He called to the suspect, who then ran to a shopping cart and pulled a AR-15 assault rifle and pointed it at Sgt. Mumford who was tending to officer Roberts and had to take cover behind a dumpster. Deldado ran from the area running through a park telling people not to tell anyone.  Officer Vincent Gericitano saw Roberts on the ground with severe difficulty breathing and called for an ambulance, saying an officer was down. Officer Gericitano couldn't find Roberts' pulse and was unresponsive to sound or touch. Another officer, Perry Anderson, arrived and cut Roberts' shirt and removed Roberts' bulletproof vest and started chest compressions. Officer Otis Calhoun was also at the scene helping out with Cpl. Roberts. Officer Sandra Learned arrived at the shooting scene with a police dog to help track the suspect. K9 Koda, led Learned toward a storage room at 812 E. Yukon St. and began sniffing at a wood pile. Learned saw Delgado in the pile. Koda couldn't get to him, and Delgado yelled, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," holding his hands up between the wood at 10:50 p.m. Officers tried controlling Delgado, but he struggled. One officer tried to get Delgado to put up his hands, repeatedly using "hammer fist punches to the left side of his face." Another officer reported hearing Delgado say, "I'm a police officer. I'm a police officer. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Officers said they searched Delgado and found an automatic pistol, a revolver and a loaded pistol magazine in his pockets. He had been armed with two 9mm Glocks, a .22 caliber pistol and an AR-15 assault rifle in his possession. Officer Vincent Gericitano rode with Cpl. Roberts in the ambulance when he was being rushed to Tampa General Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:50 p.m. A surveillance video showing the whole shooting incident of Officer Roberts was caught on camera at Simo Stone, a granite and marble distributor at. 8625 N. Nebraska Ave owned by Moe Fariad, the store owner. Delgado had been a homeless father, a former cop, and an Army veteran. Delgado's Uncle had thrown him out of his home 2 weeks earlier. Delgado had two pit bulls in his yard and wore his hair in dreads which he didn't approve of. Humberto Delgado was a police officer in the U.S. Virgin Islands and has three kids. Delgado later joined the U.S. Army and lived in North Carolina. A receipt was found for guns from a pawn shop in Fayetteville, N.C., near Fort Bragg. Delgado was a former private first class for the Army, joining in August 2004 and serving until December 2005. Delgado was a petroleum supply specialist, fueling vehicles or aircraft. He earned the National Defense Service Medal, given to soldiers who serve honorably during a time of national emergency. Delgado had an encounter with a law enforcement officer just three days before the shooting according to records released. A Pinellas sheriff's deputy was called to Veterans Memorial Park in Oldsmar to investigate a complaint of a transient who appeared to be living in the park. Deputy Russell Klar wrote in his report that he found Delgado sleeping in a picnic pavilion in the park's northeast corner around 1 a.m. The deputy noted that he had seen Delgado earlier walking along Lafayette Boulevard carrying a large backpack in desert camouflage. Delgado told the deputy he was a disabled veteran in dire straits, the report said. He had stopped talking to his family in Oldsmar. He also needed a place to live. He told the deputy he was trying to obtain government assistance to help him pay for some kind of housing. Delgado also said he had a storage locker nearby. The deputy said he warned Delgado that it would be the last morning he could spend in the park. He could not stay in any city park, the deputy told him, and warned Delgado that he could be issued a trespass warning or be cited if he continued to stay there. Delgado said he understood, according to the deputy's report. The encounter ended without incident. Roberts had been an officer for 11 years with the Tampa Police Department, five of which he spent as a K-9 officer with his partner, K9 Thor, and K9 Roger On July 12, 2009, Roberts was promoted to corporal and assigned to patrol District 2, the area where he was killed. Cpl Mike Roberts was a decorated officer who won the department's life saving award in 2005 and had received dozens of letters of appreciation from citizens, supervisors and other law enforcement agencies. Roberts received 33 commendations and awards for his actions over the years. He also served with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army and fought in the Persian Gulf War with the 810th Military Police in the Bosnia Operation Joint Guard and received many Unit Service Medals and also received a Presidential Citation and Ribbon. Corporal Mike Robert's service began with a riderless horse procession at the church. The  funeral service included a rifle salute, a missing man formation flyover and the playing of taps and private graveside ceremony. Approximately four thousand people attended the service along with about one hundred K9 teams. K9 Koda who captured Corporal Mike Roberts killer retired in 2012 and died on 1/8/16. Roberts is survived by his wife Cynthia and 3-year-old son Adam. Two funds have been set up for donations to the family of Cpl. Mike Roberts. Checks may be made out to the Tampa Police Memorial Fund and mailed to 411 N Franklin St., Tampa, FL 33602. In the memo section, write "Cpl. Mike Roberts Memorial Fund." In addition, account No. 538412 has been set up with Tampa Bay Federal Credit Union. Checks should be payable to Cynthia Roberts or the Tampa Police Memorial Fund. 411 N. Franklin St. Tampa, Fl 33602 Donations can be made at any credit union in the Tampa Bay area.

Humberto Delgado, Jr.,  was arrested on August 20, 2009 at 10:25 p.m. He was charged at 4:59 a.m. with premeditated murder in the first degree for the murder of Cpl. Roberts, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, carrying a concealed handgun, and depriving officer of means of protection. He was taken to the Hillsborough County Jail. On August 21, 2009 Humberto Delgado made his first court appearance and Judge Heinrich ruled that Delgado be held without bond for the duration of his cases. On September 3, 2009 Humberto Delgado Jr. was indicted on first degree murder and other charges. He is scheduled to arraigned on the charges September 10, 2009 and prosecutors will have 45 days from that point to determine whether they will seek the death penalty for Delgado. On December 21, 2009 dash cam video tapes were released to the media and the public but only can be viewed at the clerk of the circuit court's office; no copies are allowed. Circuit Judge Anthony K. Black said that will allow the public to access to the evidence but spare Roberts' family from being confronted by repeated replays of the images. Delgado has pleaded not guilty and is facing the death penalty. On 10/1/10 Humberto Delgado and his public defender lawyer, Christopher Watson, had a preliminary hearing and Judge Emmett Battles wanted to know when a trial date could be set. Delgado's lawyer requested that he needed more time to prepare for the trial and Judge Battles set another status hearing for 12/10/10. On October 31, 2011 jury selection began and his trial started on November 3, 2011. During the beginning of the trial, testimony by Richard Farmer, a convicted felon seven times, and convicted of three misdemeanors was driving by that night and witnessed Officer Mike Roberts getting shot. Testimony was also heard about Officer Roberts talking to Humberto Delgato Jr. and Officer Roberts shooting his stun gun at Delgato. One of the prongs got stuck in Humberto Delgato’s dreadlocks and the other was in his shoulder. Delgato was trying to pull the prong out of his shoulder and then a struggle started between Officer Roberts and Degato. Humberto Delgato Jr. was beating  Officer Roberts while he was on the ground and then shot him once. On Nov. 15, 2012 the jury consisting of nine men and three women deliberated for about six hours and came back with a verdict at 9:00 p.m. They found Humberto Delgado Jr. guilty of first-degree murder of Cpl. Mike Roberts. The jury found Humberto Delgato Jr.  guilty on all four counts: first degree murder, aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, carrying a concealed firearm and depriving an officer means of communication . On 11/17/11 the jury met in private for three hours from about 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and voted 8-4 before returning to the courtroom recommending the death penalty. On 2/10/12 Circuit Judge Emmett Lamar Battles followed the jury's recommendation and gave Humberto Delgato the death sentenced.

Officer Jason William Bugh. 37, died at 10:30 a.m. on May 1, 2009 while off duty jogging near his home in Van Wert, Ohio from an apparent heart attack. Officer Jason Bugh was a twelve-year veteran of the Lima, Ohio Police Department serving as a K-9 Handler for last five years. Officer Bugh received a Bravery Award, Lifesaving Award, and Distinguished Achievement Award while he was with the Lima Police Department. He was a veteran of the United States Army and Marines. Jason leaves behind a wife, Niki, his three children,  two daughters and one son, Hunter Alexis Bugh, Ashlyn Nicole Bugh, Preston James Bugh, along with his K-9 partner, Aron. Preceded in death by son Colton William Bugh. Jason was laid to rest with full police honors. A Jason Bugh K-9 Memorial Fund has been established in his honor. Donations can be sent to: Lima Police Department, C/O Jason Bugh K-9 Memorial Fund, Attention: Ptl. John H. Dunham Jr., 117 E. Market Street, Lima, Ohio 45801 or Christian Deer Hunters Association (Ohio Chapter), P.O. Box 432, Silver Lake, Minn. 55381.

Staff Sgt. Raphael A. Futrell, 26, of Anderson, South Carolina died in Bagdad, Iraq on 3/25/09. Futrell was a  explosive-detector dog handler for his MP unit, which deployed in November to Iraq from Fort Shafter, Hawaii. He was a dual canine operator - bomb-sniffing dogs and attack dogs. He died of injuries received in a noncombat-related incident, which is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Defense. Futrell was assigned to the 13th Military Police Detachment, 728th Military Police Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Shafter. Raphael enlisted on July 17, 2001, right after graduating from high school. Futrell was stationed in Hawaii twice. The first time was in 2001 at Schofield Barracks. He was deployed to Afghanistan in April 2004 for a year, returned to Fort Belvoir, Va., and came back to Hawaii last November. His Awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, six Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/Campaign Star, Iraq Campaign Medal w/Campaign Star, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon w/numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas Service Ribbons, Air Assault Badge and Driver Badge. On April,4, 2009 Sgt. Futrell's funeral service was held at the Civic Center in Anderson, South Carolina where approximately two hundred people attended his service. He was given full military honors at his burial at New Holly Light Missionary Baptist Church cemetery in Pendleton. Sgt. Futrell is survived by his 3-year-old son, Chance Jerome Futrell, with his former wife Angela, and K9 Jofa.

Sergeant Daniel Sakai,35, was shot and killed along with three of his fellow Oakland officers in Oakland California on 3/21/09. The following events unfolded when at approximately 1:08 pm, Sergeant Dunakin,40, and Officer Hege, 41, were patrolling on motorcycle and pulled over a  Burgundy Buick four-door sedan at 74th Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard. Mixon had just purchased the vehicle. The officers approach the vehicle, ask for license and registration, turn around with the paperwork and start running the information through dispatch on the car at the traffic stop. During the stop, the driver, Lovelle Mixon,26, then exits his vehicle with a handgun and open fires on both. While both officers are laying on the ground bleeding, Lovelle walks up to the both of them and stands over them shooting them execution style, killing the officers. Both officers never had a chance to draw their weapons and react. Lovelle then flees on foot. Citizens who witnessed the incident called 911 and started CPR on both officers. At 1:16 p.m. Oakland police receive a 911 call saying two of their officers were shot. Both officers are rushed to the hospital where Officer Dunakin dies from his wounds and Officer Hege clings to life. Approximately 200 officers begin a manhunt and set up a perimeter. East Bay Regional Parks Police, California Highway Patrol and Alameda County Sheriff's Department are called in to help search the area along with an Oakland Police helicopter. At approximately 1:55 pm, the Oakland Police Department received an anonymous tip that the suspect was barricaded inside an apartment building on 74th Avenue. Officers then surround the 10-unit apartment building. There are concerns that innocent civilians could be the next victims of Lovelle’s rampage. Sharpshooters are set up around the building and an hour is taken to set up a tactic plan to enter the building. Officers first attempted to negotiate with the suspect, but when that failed a SWAT entry team was sent in at approximately 3:00 p.m. to apprehend him. A SWAT team entered the front doors of the building, forceing the door open and throwing  in a flashbang. The officers rush into the dark and smoky filled room and are immediately met with heavy gun fire from the suspect using a AK 47 military assault rifle, killing Sergeants Ervin Romans and Daniel Sakai and wounding a third officer at the time. At least a dozen bullets ripped through walls and closets in the building. The first officer to be struck by a bullet was Sgt. Ervin Romans, 43, who is dragged out bleeding heavily by fellow officers and rushed to Highland Hospital. Lovelle was waiting in a closet waiting for the next officer. When  Officer Sakai entered he received wounds to his neck and head. Officers then pinpoint where the shots are coming from and returned fire, killing the suspect, Lovelle Mixon. Officer Sakai is then taken out of the building with neck and head wounds and also rushed to Highland Hospital. Sgt. Pat Gonzales also was struck by a bullet in the shoulder during the raid and drove himself to the hospital and was treated and released. Officer Hege was declared brain dead the next day. Sergeant Sakai had served with the Oakland Police Department for nine years. Sakai graduated from the College of Natural Resources in 1996 with a degree in forestry and natural resources and also worked as a community service officer (CSO) with the UC Berkeley Police Department from 1992 to 1997. The funeral service for Sgt. Sakai, Sgt, Ervin Roman, Sgt. Dunakin and Officer Hege was held at Oracle Arena in Oakland and was attended by over 20,000 people just in the Arena. When Sgt. Sakai casket had been placed in a row with the others, Sakai's German shepherd K9 partner, "Doc", was brought in on a leash. The dog stood at the casket and barked several times before being led away. A bugler sounded taps, and police bagpipers played Amazing Grace. Outside the arena, officers stood at attention as their slain colleagues received a twenty-one-gun salute from military cannons. Each officer was honored with a group of five law enforcement helicopters flown overhead, with one peeling off in a "missing man" formation. Sgt. Sakai lived in Castro Valley with his family and is survived by his wife, Jennifer, a U C Berkeley police officer, their 3-year-old daughter Jojiye, and his K9 partner "Doc". Checks may be directed to the "Sakai Family Trust," c/o Oakland Police Officers Association, Attn: Rennee Hassna, 555 5th St., Oakland, CA 94607. Wire transfers may be directed to Merrill Lynch Accounts, "Sakai Family Trust," account number 204-04064. 

It was later determined that Lovelle Mixon had an extensive violent criminal history and was released in October of 2007 and on parole for assault with a deadly weapon after serving five years of a six-year sentence for assault with a firearm. In February, Mixon was placed on a parole hold as a possible suspect in a homicide in Alameda County, according to undersecretary of operations for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mixon was detained on various parole violations and sent back to prison for nine months. On February 18, 24, 26,  2009, Mixon's parole officer could not find him. On February 27 Mixon's parole officer issued a warrant for Mixon's arrest. On March 6, 2009, The Fugitive Apprehension Team and members of the Oakland Police Department visit three Oakland addresses, including Mixon's mother's home, his address of record. The following week, they distribute a bulletin to the Oakland Police Department. The case is also referred to the U.S. Marshals Service to check on reports that Mixon might have been in the Auburn, Wash., area. Unfortunately they are unable to locate him. On March 2, Mixon kills Oakland police officers.

Sgt. Santos A. Cardona

 

Superintendant Jackie Lugasi, 48,  was killed February 20, 2009 in a horrific car accident when he came to help his son change a flat tire on the side of a highway. While attending to the car on the shoulder of Highway 5 at the Morsha Junction, Moshe Cohen, 45, a truck driver strayed from his lane and slammed into Superintendant Lugasi's car, trapping the officer between the two vehicles. Moshe Cohen was charged with manslaughter, negligence, and drunk driving. Officer Lugasi served in the Israel Police for 23 years as a canine  instructor, first in the Israel Police Training School and then in the Northern District's Canine Unit. For the past ten years he was the chief canine officer in the Operations Department of the Israel Police. He was considered the top Israeli specialist in his field and was globally renowned in the field of dog breeding and training for security purposes. Superintendant Lugasi left behind a wife and four children.

A breathalyzer test taken following the accident revealed that Cohen's blood alcohol level was 335 micrograms, higher than the legal limit of 240. Moshe Cohen has  25 criminal convictions, 22 traffic violations and weapon and drug offenses, the most recent in 2004. Cohen's friends stated they shared two bottles of vodka with him shortly before the accident and tried to persuade him not to drive. Cohen was charged with manslaughter, negligence, and drunk driving. On June 11, 2009 Moshe Cohen was convicted after reaching a plea deal in which he admitted to manslaughter and driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to four and a half years in jail. Cohen was also given a one-year suspended sentence and his driver's license was revoked for 20 years.

Cpl. Christopher Kent Paschal, age 37, was involved in an off duty motor vehicle accident at 7:45 a.m. on  January 2, 2009 and succumbed to his injuries at the Bristol Regional Medical Center on Jan. 4, 2009, at approximately 4:30 p.m. after sustaining critical head injuries in an accident on icy northbound Interstate 81. He was off duty that morning and traveling with his wife, Kasey, and daughter, Keyleigh, when he saw an accident, one of more than 100 in three counties in a short time caused by ice and snow. As he telephoned central dispatch to report that accident when his vehicle lost traction on the ice. The 2001 Mitsubishi SUV "ran off the road to the right, overturned twice and came to rest on its wheels." He was on the phone with the dispatcher, saying there was an accident, and all of a sudden he advised her he was wrecking. Then he lost contact. Paschal's wife and daughter escaped injury. Paschal was taken to Smyth County Community Hospital and transferred by ambulance to Bristol Regional Medical Center. Weather conditions kept medical evacuation helicopters grounded and Med-Flight was unable to be sent to the accident. Paschal was with the Smyth County Sheriff's Office for eight years and before that served with Saltville Police Department. In 2007 Paschal and his K-9 Ben graduated from the 13-week Virginia State Police/Southwest Law Enforcement Academy's Narcotics & Dog Handling School. Paschal is survived by his wife Kasey, daughter Keyleigh and son Tanner along with his K9 partner "Ben". A relief fund has been set up at the Bank of Chilhowie for the Paschal family. Checks should be payable to the Deputy Chris Paschal Relief Fund, Bank of Chilhowie, PO Box 1560, Chilhowie, VA 24319.

Deputy Sheriff Brian Denning, 36, was killed in a automobile accident on December 8, 2008, just four days after his birthday, on Long Hollow Pike in Gallatin, Tennessee. He was on duty returning from a call at approximately 12:51 a.m. His patrol car, a Chevrolet Tahoe left the roadway and struck a tree and burst into flames.  Many passersby attempted to rescue him from the vehicle but were unable due to the intense flames. Deputy Denning had served with the Sumner County Sheriff's Department agency for 12 years and was assigned to the 18th Judicial District Drug Task Force. He also served in the U.S. Army Air Force. He is survived by his wife Barbara Jane (Eversole) Denning and two step daughters, Jessica and Whitney Downs, and his K9 partner "Eli". Memorial contributions may be made to: The Children's Tree House at Long Hollow Baptist Church, 3031 Long Hollow Pike, Hendersonville, TN 37075.

Officer Keith Rendueles, 28, of Big Pine Key, committed suicide on 11/30/08 by shooting himself at his home. Rendueles' roommate heard a gunshot at 3:17 a.m., finding Rendueles dead. Officer Rendueles had been a Key West police officer  for eight years and had been a member of the K-9 Narcotics Unit with his canine partner Daxo since 2004. Rendueles' personnel file was full of letters from people in the community commending the job he did which acknowledged him for his professionalism and quick response. Why Rendueles killed himself is unknown. Rendueles was not married. Contributions may be made in Keith' s memory to the Key West Police Department K-9 Fund, 1604 N. Roosevelt Blvd., Key West, FL 33040.

Sgt. Darrell Johnson, 42, was killed while off duty on 10/24/08 in a head on car crash at 12:20 a.m. in Douglas County, Georgia. Police received a 911 call from a driver who saw a Ford Focus "all over the road." who suspected a drunken driver. That motorist stayed behind the Focus and directed a deputy to its location and when the deputy tried to stop the Focus, it took off. Douglas County Sheriff Deputies chased the Focus for about seven miles which was driven by  Brent Jacobs, 21, of Douglasville. Jacobs crossed the center line on Campbellton Road in South Fulton and crashed head-on into Sgt. Darrell Johnson. Both were killed upon impact. Johnson who lived in College Park and was driving his own car, a white Ford Crown Victoria, was on his way home for a couple of hours sleep before he went back to work at the Atlanta Police Department after working his second job doing security for a Brookhaven neighborhood. Sgt. Johnson had been with the Atlanta Police Department for 18 years. He worked red dog (tactical unit), was a dog handler and a hostage negotiator and also worked in internal affairs. Sgt. Johnson is survived by his wife Keisha and his children, Darrel Junior, Derrick, Isaiah and Anecia.

   

                                                                   

 

Officer Kristine Fairbanks is the first female canine officer shot and killed in the line of duty in the United States. Officer Kristine Fairbanks, 51, a certified canine officer with 15 years in the federal agency was found shot to death on 9/20/08 after reporting a suspicious van at the Dungeness Forks campground east of Sequim at 2:22 p.m. while on duty. Fairbanks was working on Forest Road 2880 when she radioed the State Patrol to ask for information on the vehicle about five miles inside the Olympic National Forest. Fairbanks was seeking information about 36-year-old Shawn Matthew Roe who she identified was driving a van with no plates and also one of the vehicle identification numbers had been scratched off, Days later another vehicle identification number, which is hidden on every vehicle, was found on the van by a specialist from the State Patrol. When a dispatcher radioed back eight minutes later, there was no response. When troopers arrived at the scene at 3:10 p.m. they found Fairbanks dead of a .22 caliber gunshot wound to the side of her head, her seven-year-old  German shepherd police dog "Radar" unharmed in her vehicle, and the van was nowhere in sight. Fairbanks maybe could have used a trigger-device that K9 officers use to remotely open their car doors to let their dog partners out, if it had been functioning. Fairbanks had one, but knew that the device didn't work, and was not repaired since she was getting a new patrol vehicle within a few weeks, and the Forest Service had not replaced it.  If it had been working it was said it wouldn’t have made a difference based on the F.B.I. report that Officer Fairbanks had no time to defend herself and there was no evidence of a struggle. The only witness told investigators they believed the man was driving an older model Dodge van that was red, gray or brown in color and did not have license plates. Authorities were asking for the public's help in locating the van and to call 911 but keep their distance if they see it. At 5:45 p.m., about four hours after the shooting, a tipster called who spotted the van abandoned off of Youngquist Road in a heavily wooded area near where Fairbanks was shot. County and state law enforcement officers had mounted a search for Roe using dogs and a State Patrol aircraft equipped with infrared detection, but hadn't been able to trace him. At  9:30 p.m., after authorities handed out fliers in the area identifying Roe as a suspect, he was spotted by a security officer entering a gas station and convenience store, the Longhouse Market & Deli on the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribal reservation and called 911. The location is near the Seven Cedars Casino on U.S. Highway 101 east of Sequim.  Two Clallam County sheriff's deputies who were involved in the search encountered Shawn Roe outside the deli at 9:33 p.m. after leaving  the market carrying a bottle of Canadian whiskey and two Pepsis and was told to raise his hands, but he refused. Roe took a gun out and  fired one shot at the deputies with a gun he had taken from Officer Fairbanks, a 9mm gun. Clallam County sheriff's deputies returned fire with nine shots. Deputy Matthew Murphy, who has 14 years on the force, fired five rounds from an AR-15 .223-caliber assault rifle. Deputy Andrew Wagner, with 1 1/2 years on the Clallam County force, fired four rounds from his .40-caliber pistol.  Roe was shot and died at the scene, but neither deputy was injured. The deputies were placed on routine administrative leave. Police said Murphy fired the fatal shot. Deputies found two more guns on Roe. Shawn Roe was carrying three guns on him when he died, Officer Fairbanks 9mm, and an older .22 caliber revolver-style handgun six shooter, and a rifle in the truck on the seat along with two knives in the white truck that Roe drove to the gas station.  The white vehicle Roe had driven to the gas station was stolen, and when investigators traced the vehicle back to the owner in the Sequim area, they found out it belonged to Richard Ziegler. When investigators went to Ziegler's address they discovered a third crime scene and another body. Ziegler was found shot dead on his lawn at 10:40 p.m. on Jonrey Lane, just off Louella Road in the woods. Richard Ziegler, 59, a retired California corrections employee  moved to Sequim in May from Los Osos, California after living there for about twenty years, to "follow his dreams" and build a home on four acres he purchased and to fish. Ziegler had purchased the land years before his retirement. Before being a correctional officer Ziegler was a professional home builder in Colorado. Ziegler was living in a  fifth-wheel trailer  while building a log cabin house nearby. About 4 p.m. Saturday, Ziegler told his neighbors he'd just gotten approval to install a septic system and about an hour later neighbors remembered hearing gun shots about 5:00 p.m. coming from the Ziegler property. Ziegler had been shot three times. The three agencies are among about 20 who helped in the search for Fairbanks' killer. Because Fairbanks is a federal officer, killed on federal land, the FBI has been called in to handle the investigation. Shawn Roe was owner of Custom Cuts Tree Topping.  Roe was a convicted felon with "an active criminal history" and was supposed to be under state Corrections Department supervision. Roe had a criminal history and left his ex-wife fearing for her life. Roe met his now ex-wife, Mary Catherine White, on a ski trip. The two married in 1998 on the front lawn of their house and have a young daughter. Shawn Roe and Mary Catherine Roe were divorced in 2006. Roe was convicted in 2007 of unlawful  imprisonment, a felony, and  malicious  mischief,  a  gross  misdemeanor. Mary Catherine Roe told deputies she was afraid of her husband and that he threatened her with a gun and had a domestic-violence protection order against him in 2006. Roe had pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment in 2006 for not allowing his wife to leave their home. When she tried to use her cell phone to summon help, he shot the instrument with a firearm. Roe had also threatened to burn his ex wife's mothers house down. She told deputies in 2006 that she had carried a 38 caliber gun in her purse for about a month to the North Thurston Public Schools district for protection.  The school district placed her on administrative leave because it is against state law to take a firearm to a school campus. Mary Catherine Roe eventually resigned from her position as a language arts teacher at the Nisqually Middle School. Shawn Roe was arrested July 21, 2008 in Mason County for failing to report to his probation officer and for consuming alcohol. Roe was sent to jail for 60 days, 30 of which were spent outside of lockup on electronic home monitoring. Roe finished this jail sentence on August 10, 2008 and reported the next day to his community corrections officer. Roe, who has previous convictions for domestic-violence-related crimes, was wanted by the state Department of Corrections (DOC) for failing to show up at an August 29, 2008 meeting with his probation officer. The officer had requested an arrest warrant but Mason County Superior Court had not yet issued it. Roe was due in Mason County District Court September 26, 2008 for carrying a gun, thus violating a protection order that had been issued in 2007. Often Officer Fairbanks investigations were of timber thefts or salal "turf wars" in the 300,000 acres of national forest she patrolled in the Olympic Mountains. An old-growth cedar could bring as much as $100,000 to a thief - often to bankroll drugs - and salal is valued by florists for flower arrangements. Ferns, mushrooms, moss, cedar bark and grass also are prized - and poached. Fairbanks once estimated that three-quarters of the greenery leaving the woods is harvested illegally, often by undocumented migrant workers. Officer Fairbanks had teamed with three K-9 's in her 15 years with the U.S. Forest Service. She made the news almost as often, however, because of her K-9 partners. As of 2007, Fairbanks was the only Forest Service officer in Washington state with a canine partner, and only one of 40 in the United States. First there was Ruger, a German shepherd that was injured when he fell from a helicopter. He needed back surgery, and retired when he was unable to jump into Fairbanks' patrol car. Before then, though, Ruger subdued a subject who'd attacked her with a knife - and again after the subject tried a second time. Next came Hero, another German shepherd, who with Fairbanks worked in the "other" Olympics - the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Hero, retired in 2003 because of arthritis, was euthanized in 2005 after he was diagnosed with cancer of the pancreas, stomach and liver. Fairbanks' latest partner  Radar, helped track down a robbery fugitive from Forks in April of 2008. Late in 2007, they helped arrest another robbery suspect. A year ago, Fairbanks and Port Angeles K-9 officer Cpl. Kevin Miller organized a seminar that drew 90 trainees and their dogs for a three-day conference in Port Angeles.  Officer Fairbanks funeral on 9/29/08, was a two-and-a-half-hour service that included two songs chosen by Fairbanks' 15-year-old daughter, Whitney that reflected her mother's zest for life and the land: "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley and "Pocketful of Sunshine" by Natasha Bedingfield. Two national anthems ( United States & Canada ) were played before over three thousand people who attended the service.  Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire presented the flag to Officer Fairbanks daughter, Whitney. One Hundred twenty K-9 handlers marched in the procession with their K9'S by their side. A black, rider less horse was led onto the field to symbolize the fallen officer. The U.S. Border Patrol Pipe & Drum Corps performed "Amazing Grace," and the State Patrol executed a 21-gun salute. Fairbanks' K9 partner, "Radar" who attended the service, is being cared for by a Port Angeles police officer whom she previously had designated to take care of the dog if something happened to her. A crimson U.S. Coast Guard helicopter flew in a slow loop across the sky. An account has been set up for donations to the Kristine Fairbanks Memorial Fund at First Federal in Forks. The mailing address at the Forks Branch is P.O. Box 1467 Forks WA 98331.Officer Fairbanks is survived by a husband Brian, who is an officer with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, and a 15-year-old daughter, Whitney.

 

Two months after the accident, toxicology tests offered no clue as to why his car left the road that night. The autopsy failed to uncover a serious health problem. Early speculation that he had fallen asleep proved false. Police said the newly changed tire had nothing to do with the accident. Anyone who witnessed the crash are to call St. Peters police at 636-278-2222.

Deputy Marty Martin, 35, was killed on September 6, 2008 while on duty in an automobile accident in Ohio on I-71 at Stringtown Road at approximately 12:30 am. Deputy Martin died as he was being rushed to Grant Medical Center. Martin had been working undercover with Deputy Luke Holt, 31,  when the sport-utility vehicle Holt was driving apparently hydroplaned on the wet pavement, hit a culvert and flipped. Holt who has been with the office since 2001 was in serous condition when taken to Grant Medical Center. Deputy Martin had served with the Franklin County Sheriff's Department for ten years. His wife, Carrico-Martin,  met him five years ago at her dog day-care center and Martin, who trained police dogs, came to her business to give a demonstration. He was a certified instructor for the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission Police Dog, National Certifying Agent for Drug Beat, and Schutzhund sport dog trainer. Marty is a 1991 graduate of Whitehall High School, European Professional soccer player; Columbus State Law Enforcement Degree; State Highway Patrol; President of Hondensport Ohio Dog Club; and Co-owner of Liberty Hoeve Kennels. http://www.libertyhoevekennels.com/home.html On May 3rd, 2008 HondenSport Ohio Schutzhund Trial his sport dog Charly earned his IPO III and was high in Obedience and High in Protection. Detective Martin  received the 2006 Safe Driver Award and the Officer Appreciation Award, and in 2008 the Medal of Merit for endangering his life to save a victim's life. He died 2 days before his wife’s birthday. At the graveside service, the mounted unit walked by the casket, one of their horses without a rider, the seven honor guard members fired their guns three times each, 21 shots in all and three of the spent shells were slipped into a black velvet pouch and given to Martin's 6-year-old son, Kyle. He is survived by his wife Jody Carrico-Martin, six year old son Kyle and K9 partner Bul. Contributions may directed to the Marty M. Martin Memorial c/o CME Federal Credit Unit, 365 S. 4th St., Columbus OH 43215 or cmefcu.org.

 

Army Sgt. 1st Class Gregory A. Rodriguez, 35, died September 2, 2008, of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small-arms fire. His dog Jacko survived the ambush. Sgt. Rodriguez was a military police dog handler and he and his dog were a military special search dog team assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, based in Germany. He was a native of Weidman, Michigan. Rodriguez joined the Army Reserve in 1994.  In 1996 he became an active duty soldier. Survivors include his wife Laura and their three young children, 8-year-old Gregory Jr., 7-year old Zachary and 3-year-old Malory who were living in San Antonio,Texas, site of Lackland Air Force Base, which houses the military's working dog programs. Rodriguez had been stationed in Hawaii, Missouri, Alaska, Texas, and Germany. Rodriguez told his wife if anything happened to him during the war he wanted to be buried at Arlington, " I want to be among the best and the brave." His wife hopes the Pentagon will release the dog to the family. On September 15 his funeral was held at Arlington National Cemetery, with a memorial service later in Mount Pleasant. More than 100 mourners stood before a backdrop of floral arrangements and wreaths to pay tribute to Rodriguez. They joined members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment from Fort Myer who waited at the gravesite along with four dogs from the same regiment. Rodriguez was buried in Section 60 of the cemetery.

 

Corporal John William Belk III, 39, died in an automobile accident on 8/24/08 in Auburn, Alabama just after 2:30 p.m. He was off duty and sole occupant driving his black jeep when his vehicle and a green Ford Explorer collided head-on on Sandhill Road, just east of South College Street in Auburn. Belk died of multiple blunt force injuries and was dead on impact. He was wearing his seat belt at the time of the accident. Belk was driving to a family member or friend's house for an early dinner before he started work. The two occupants of the SUV fled on foot. Opelika police used dogs to track the two, and both men were apprehended. The driver, Jimmy Vickerstaff Jr., 31, of Auburn was booked at 8:10 p.m. and charged with manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident with injuries. He was booked into the Lee County Detention Facility and was being held on bond. No charges have been filed against the passenger. An investigation is under way to find out why Mr. Vickerstaff’s vehicle went out of control. Belk worked previously at the Phenix City Police Department and then the Opelika Police Department for 14 years, starting as a patrolman and working his way up to a K9 officer and corporal. Corporal Beck celebrated his 39th birthday just seven days before his death. Approximately one thousand people attended corporal Belk's funeral in Opelika. He leaves behind two sons, Austin, 6, and J.W.Belk, IV, 10, and his wife, Janice Causey Belk, who he married in February, stepson Stephen Causey, and stepdaughter Karri Eastridge. The city council recently agreed to give Corporal Belk's  retiring police dog Ringo to his family. A trust account is being set up at Town-Country National Bank in Camden for Belk's two sons, J.W. and Austin. Donations may be sent to: Hal Huggins, trustee, 3 Ponderosa Place, Camden, AL 36726.

On November 25, 2008 a lawsuit was filed in Lee County Circuit Court on behalf of Belk's wife and two sons against Vickerstaff Jr. who was driving the vehicle and against Shawn Teresa Patterson who allegedly owned the car. On March 9, 2009,  Lee County District Attorney said Jimmy Vickerstaff Jr. who was driving under the influence of alcohol and cocaine pleaded guilty to manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident in Lee County Circuit Court  and was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

Lance Corporal Kenneth Michael Rowe

Lance Corporal Kenneth Michael Rowe, 24, from Gosforth, Newcastle was shot dead by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan  on July 24, 2008. He had been due to  fly home the day before he died , but had persuaded his superiors in the British Army to let him stay because he feared a shortage of dog handlers would put his comrades at increased risk of roadside bombs. Rowe had been on a routine patrol with his explosives sniffer-dog Sasha from their base at FOB Inkerman in the Sangin area of Helmand when they came under enemy fire. Both Rowe and K9 Sasha, a Labrador, were killed instantly in the attack, while five other soldiers from 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment and one from 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment were injured. Rowe and his dog joined patrols searching for enemy weapons, ammunition and explosives. Rowe had joined the Army on March 7, 2005 and was sent to Afghanistan in 2008. His fatal injuries were caused by shrapnel from a rocket propelled grenade and enemy machine guns. He is survived by his parents Lyn and Kenneth and two sisters. His partner Helen Bell, 23, and daughter Hannah were among hundreds at St Bartholomew's Church in Newcastle for his funeral service. When his coffee was carried into the church, the song " More Than Words", by Extreme, was played. Rowe’s funeral was followed by a private cremation.

 

Thompson filed the appeal July 26, 2011 to be heard by the Ohio Supreme Court. The Ohio Supreme Court heard an appeal on 4/8/14 from convicted murderer Ashford Lamar Thompson in the July 13, 2008, murder of Twinsburg Police Canine Officer Joshua Miktarian. Thompson appealed the conviction and death sentence directly to the Ohio Supreme Court and then presented 18 claims of errors during his trial. On October 29, 2014 the Ohio Supreme Court in an opinion written by Justice Judith L. French, unanimously upheld Ashford Thompson's aggravated murder conviction for the 2008 slaying of a Twinsburg police officer deciding that the death penalty was appropriate. Justices Judith L. French, Judith Ann Lanzinger,  Paul E. Pfeifer,  William M. O'Neill, Terrence O’Donnell, Sharon Kennedy and Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor handed down the sentence. Thompson's death sentence, according to an entry filed with the high court's 90-page decision, is scheduled to be carried out April 5, 2017.

On June 18, 2008, K9 officer Greg Surles was seriously injured while on duty  when an 18-wheel truck slammed into the side of his police car shortly before 4 p.m. at the intersection of U.S. 231 and Cropwell Drive/Kings Circle in Alabama. Surles was crossing U.S. 231 from Kings Circle when the truck, traveling south on U.S. 231, hit the driver’s side of the squad car. The truck jackknifed along U.S. 231, and the impact sent Surles’ police vehicle into a ditch south of the intersection. The driver of the truck, James Michael Scogins, 44, of Pell City was taken to St. Vincent’s St. Clair in a private vehicle. Greg Surles was initially unconscious when rescue workers first arrived at the scene, but he later became conscious before being taken to Birmingham. A Lifesaver helicopter transported Surles to University Hospital in Birmingham, where he was taken into surgery with massive internal injuries. Greg was being treated for numerous broken bones and a torn aorta. Officer Greg Surles died sixteen days later at 9:50 a.m. on July 4, 2008. His first job in law enforcement was with the Talladega County Sheriff’s Department. He worked with that department for two years before taking a job with the Odenville Police Department. Surles worked as a police and K-9 officer with the Odenville Police Department from 1999-2002. When he joined the Pell City Police Department he was a K9 officer for Pell City for approximately six years. His badge number 828 was retired and taken out of service in his honor. About 200 emergency vehicles, including a law enforcement helicopter, led a 300-vehicle procession to the cemetery. Robin Surles was presented the Medal of Honor posthumously for her husband duties. Surles is survived by his wife Robin, who he was married to for five years, their 4-year-old daughter Makensi and 11-week-old daughter Madalyn and his K9 partner Brando. Donations can be made to the Greg Surles Fund at Metro Bank, 800 Martin St S, Pell City AL 35128.

 James Michael Scogins, 44, of Pell City was arrested on September 22, 2008 and charged with the manslaughter death of Pell City police officer Greg Surles. A St. Clair County grand jury indicted Scogins in the manslaughter death of Surles and he was released after posting his $25,000 bond. St. Clair County Circuit Court Judge Jim Hill sentenced Scogins to one year and one day in jail and four years of supervised probation.

Surles’s wife, Robin, has filed a lawsuit naming James Michael Scogin and Hugghins Transportation Inc. who Scogin worked for at the time of the accident.

   

 

Staff Sgt. Donald T. Tabb, 29, of Norcross, Ga., was killed around 2 p.m. on February 5, 2008 after his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Sangin, Afghanistan. Tabb was patrolling a road along the Helmand River in a joint patrol coalition/Afghan patrol when their vehicle hit a mine planted on the road.  The blast resulted in Tabb being wounded and injured two other soldiers. Sergeant Tabb was immediately medically evacuated to Camp Bastian but succumbed to his wounds in-flight prior to arrival. He was a dog handler serving in Afghanistan with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force. Tabb worked as a dog handler with a 2 year old black Labrador bomb sniffing dog named “Bo” who was injured in the attack that killed Tabb, but survived. His K-9 partner "Bo" was wounded above his left eye and was sent back to the U.S. to attend his handlers funeral February 16, 2008 who was buried at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, Georgia. Donald entered the Army on February 6, 1999, attending basic training and advanced individual training at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Tabb recently completed the Army's dog-handling course reserved for high-performing military policemen. Tabb was serving with the 6th Military Police Detachment, 13th Aviation Regiment. Tabb left for Afghanistan in October and was his fifth deployment. Donald served as a gunner, driver, team leader, squad leader, platoon sergeant, special reaction team leader, U.S. customs inspector and specialized search dog handler. Donald's military deployments were to Kosovo, Iraq and two tours to Afghanistan. SSgt. Tabb is survived by his mother, Gloria Smith.  He is also survived by two sisters, Khadjha and Ebonee, and two brothers Robert and Willie. Bo, due to his injuries, was retired from military service on April 18, 2008 and was adopted by Tabb's brother, Willie Smith. Traditionally, a military working dog outranks the handler by one grade. Bo was officially retired as master sergeant. Tabb, was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class on April 18, 2008, at a  ceremony held at the Gwinnett County Fallen Heroes Memorial. In May of 2013 Fort Rucker dedicated its Military Working Dog kennels in honor of  Sgt. 1st Class Donald T. Tabb and will now be known as the Tabb Kennels.

Sheriff Deputy Anthony Sean Pursifull

Video http://www.LoHud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071120/MULTIMEDIA01/71120005         

Officer Darrell Burris, 37, died in a car accident on November 15, 2007 while off duty in Carmel, New York. The accident happened at 6:45 p.m. on Drewville Road when he lost control of his personal 2003 Toyota SUV vehicle and veered into an on coming SUV driven by 29-year-old Adam Warm of Patterson, NY, who had his 1-year- old son as a passenger. Burris was taken to the Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, where he was pronounced dead. Adam Warm and his son were taken to Danbury Hospital in Connecticut and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.  A 19-year-old Brewster man, Ethan Taublib, was also injured when he drove into the wreck and was treated at Putnam Hospital Center. Officer Burris died three days before his 38th birthday and one day before he was going to be promoted to Sergeant. Officer Burris was returning home from the hospital where he had some tests done when the accident occurred. Cold Spring has a part-time police department, with Burris as the only full-time officer. Officer Burris had been partnered with his K9 “Duncan” for only one year who was a black Labrador, who recently turned 3 years old. Burris and Duncan earned a trip to compete in the United States Police Canine Association's National Detector Trials when they beat out 16 out of 17 teams from New York and Connecticut in the Region 7 Narcotics Detector Trials at the Orange County Sheriff's K-9 Academy in Montgomery. When Officer Burris and K9 “Duncan competed at the United States Police Canine Association's National Narcotics Detector Trials in Cloquet, Minnesota in May, 2007, against 79 teams of narcotics-detector dogs and their handlers, he finished fifth in the vehicle search narcotic detector category. The team is judged on how fast the dog can detect hidden drugs. Officer Burris said the success of him and his K9 “Duncan” were due to Sgt. David Campbell and Deputy James Cleary of the Orange County Sheriff’s Canine Academy, and Sgt. William Finucan of the MTA Police. Burris had worked as a dispatcher for ten years at the state police barracks in Somers, was former officer for the Pound Ridge Police Department, and then joined the Cold Spring department where he was employed for six years and became the head of the 14-member force. He was a proud member of the the North American Police Work Dog Association and the US Police K-9 Association.   He  was also a veteran of the Coast Guard. The new sergeant's badge that was to be given to Officer Darrell Burris was pinned to the Cold Spring police uniform that he wore at his funeral. After the Funeral Mass, Darrell was cremated. More than 100 police canine officers with their canines attended the funeral. Officer Burris leaves behind his wife Linda, and fourteen-year-old son Ryan, along with his canine partner, Duncan. K9 Duncan was given to his wife Linda to raise with her family. Contributions in his memory may be made to The Orange County K-9 Academy, P.O. Box 221, Montgomery, NY  12549.

 

Agent Julio Baray was killed September 24, 2007 at 10:25 a.m. in an aircraft accident at Moriarty Airport, New Mexico. A second agent, Daniel J. Houting, who was a flight instructor on board their small plane, a Cessna 210 suffered burns and lacerations in the crash and was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital on a medical transport helicopter.  Agent Baray was taking pilot training from Agent Houting at the time, practicing take-offs and landings. Investigators are not sure what caused the plane to go down, but it went off the runway and caught fire. According to one eyewitness, it appeared the aircraft was preparing to land on runway 26 when the plain appeared to stall and the left wing hit the ground and the plain went nose down. Agent Houting had to be restrained several times because he continued to keep going back to the wreckage in flames to free Agent Baray. Because of the amount of intense flames they thought the aircraft would explode. Baray had served with the United States Border Patrol for 9 years and was undergoing pilot training for Air and Marine at the time of the crash. He received a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from the University of Texas at El Paso in 1994 and a master of science in criminal justice from New Mexico State University in 1998. Baray joined the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency in 1998 and was assigned to the El Paso Sector. During his service, he became a senior agent and canine handler. His canine Axel, a Belgian Malinois, who Julio trained was retired and turned over to the Baray family. He is survived by his wife Melissa Dorrance-Baray and her two sons, Angel, age 9 and Victor Baray age 5.

SSgt. Charles Long, 30, died on September 3, 2007 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He was a K9 handler with the 822d SFS and then transferred to the 824 SFS. Stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia.  At Lackland Air Force Base he was the Team Leader of Specialized Search Dog ( SSD ) Team # 2. He spearheaded the research of Sentry Dog Nemo. People with his group raised funds for the headstone that is now part of the Nemo Memorial at Lackland. In 2006 Long was deployed to Kirkuk, Iraq. He also served in Korea, Kosovo and Turkey.At the service SSGT. Long received full military honors, a bugler, gun salute, and Honor Guard.  Long was buried at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetary in Rittman, Ohio. SSGT. Long is survived by his fiancée and a son Nicholis and a son that is on the way who will be named Charles Michael Long III.

Sgt. Matthew Peake

 Officer Curtis James Gooden

Curtis James Gooden Jr., 38, of Texarkana, Texas, died July 29, 2007, in Murfreesboro, Ark. He was a K-9 officer with Texarkana Independent School District Police Department in Texas. He died off duty during a motorcycle ride with a small party of riders on Arkansas Highway 27 North near Kirby. The accident happened at 12:28 p.m. while riding his new 2007 Suzuki motorcycle down a slopping curve and failed to negotiate the curve. He left the road on the east side of the highway and flipped end over end seven times covering seventy four yards. His insurance had gone into effect two days earlier. An investigation showed he was wearing his helmet at the time of the accident and he was not speeding and there were no skid marks. Officer Gooden had taken a three year hiatus from riding motorcycles and recently purchased a motorcycle. He had been with the Texarkana Police Department for seven years. Curtis and Roby were seen every day in the hallways  and in the parking lots of the schools. Officer Gooden was buried with full police honors and buried at Cedar Springs Cemetery in Hooks, Texas. Survivors include five children, Terry Tatum Gooden, Curtis James Gooden III, Ashlee Gooden, Trevon Gooden and Cashlin Joren Gooden and his K9 partner Roby.

Army Cpl. Kory D. Wiens

 

 

Army Cpl. Kory D. Wiens and his K9 "Cooper" were killed while on patrol on July 6, 2007 by an explosive in the town of Muhammad Sath, Iraq. Wiens was assigned to the 94th Mine Dog Detachment, 5th Engineer Battalion, 1st Engineer Brigade, Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Wiens and his dog were trained to find materials such as TNT, detonation cords, smokeless powder, mortars, weapons, tools and explosive residue used to make explosives. Kory enlisted into the Army to gain experience for pursuing a career in law enforcement. He attended canine school at the 341st  Training Squadron, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where he met his partner, a yellow Labrador Retriever named " Cooper ". The two deployed to Iraq in January. Their abilities to detect TNT, C4, detonation cords, smokeless powder and mortars saved countless lives by taking explosives and other IED manufacturing materials off the streets of Iraq. Kory was a wrestler and quarterback of the football team at West Albany High School where he graduated in 2005. When Kory was born he was named after his grandfather who was a canine handler during the Korean War. Kory and K9 "Cooper" were the first K9 team to be killed together since the Vietnam War. Cpl Kory D. Wiens and his K9 "Cooper" were escorted back to his home town of Independence, Oregon by his older brother Kevin who was also serving on a second tour in Iraq as a military police officer for the Army. Thirty-seven K9 teams from the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and area police department  K9 teams from around the state attended the funeral on July 18, 2007. Kory was buried at Salt Creek Cemetery in his hometown of Dallas, Oregon. Wiens was awarded a number of medals posthumously: The Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Conduct Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal and the Glogal War on Terrorism Medal. Kory and his K9 partner "Cooper" were both cremated and buried together. Approximately 300 people attended his service. He is survived by his father Kevin; mother Judith ( also known as Laura ); brothers Kevin and Kyle; and sister Lindsey. The Army dedicated a memorial to a fallen soldier on December 4, 2007. The 5th Engineer Battalion named a 36-dog kennel and veterinary facility after Cpl. Kory Wiens at Fort Leonard Wood. The kennel is for the 94th Mine Dog Detachment based at the Fort. The Kory Wiens Memorial Fund, set up by the Wiens family, is accepting donations at Washington Federal Savings Bank. The money will be used to customize Wiens’ 1972 Dodge “Swinger” and the vehicle will be used as a memorial to Wiens and Cooper.

Staff Sergeant Joshua Brandon Farnsworth, 32, died on July 3, 2007 at his residence. SSGT. Joshua Farnsworth was found deceased in is base house after they were sent to his home to determine why he had missed guardmount. SSGT Farnsworth was an explosive military working dog handler in the United States Air Force at Fairchild AFB, Washington and also served in the United States Marine Corps as Military Police at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and Okinawa, Japan. He was a  member of the 92nd Security Forces Squadron based at Fairchild Air Force Base. He served overseas in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qutar, and two tours in Iraq and received over a dozen awards. Josh's funeral service was held at Fairchild Air Force Base. Josh is survived by his wife, Laura Farnsworth of Spokane, Washington; his daughter Bryden Farnsworth, of Bend, Oregon, and his military working K-9, Eesau.

Pc Lance Williams, 38, from Llandrindod Wells, Powys, attacked his wife while off duty and then committed suicide on June 11, 2007.  Lance Williams flew into a rage about the break up of his marrage to his wife, Wendy, 36, who he was married to for nine years. At the time they were seperated for one month and the two children, Elinor, 11, and Lewys, nine were living with Wendy's mother. It was Wendy's birthday the day she arrived at his home on Oxford Road, Llandrindod Wells, to collect their two children. When Wendy arrived, Elinor opened the door and said Lewys was finishing his tea. Wendy  waited in the hall and saw Lance who told her to get off his property.  Lance Williams then grabbed Wendy by her wrist and pushed her to the floor. He dragged his wife into the hallway and punched and kicked her in the head before stabbing her in the chest and hand with a kitchen knife in front of his 2 children, and then commited suicide by hanging himself at approximately 5:00 p.m. Lance Williams had stabbed himself in the chest before hanging himself from the attic hatch at his modern detached house with his dog's choker and leash. Pc Lance Williams worked as a dog handler for Dyfed-Powys Police.

Officer Robert Winget died on the morning of April 10, 2007 when he left for patrol  from the Ripon Police Department at 11:25 a.m. He was on patrol in south Ripon near the banks of the Stanislaus River in the Ripon River Crossing area on his all-terrain patrol vehicle. At 11:40 a.m. dispatchers received an “undecipherable” transmission from Officer Winget. The Ripon Police Department set up a Mobile Command Center and Fire, City Public Works and citizens participated in the search to attempt to locate Officer Winget. At approximately 1:14 p.m., a Ripon Consolidated Fire District search crew located him unconscious along the river area, west of Highway 99. Immediately C.P.R. was administered and a 4-wheel drive rescue vehicle  removed him from the area and was transported by the Ripon Fire District Ambulance to Doctor’s Hospital in Modesto, where he was pronounced dead at approximately 2:27 p.m. from traumatic injuries associated with the crash of his all-terrain vehicle. Winget was a US Marine who served in Viet Nam. His career in law enforcement was thirty-seven years.  Officer Winget served with the Los Angeles Police Department for 20 years and the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department for 14 years where  he was a longtime Drug Abuse Resistance Education officer.  The past three years he served  Ripon Police Department  patrolling  with his narcotic  K-9 partner “Topper” in an all-terrain patrol vehicle. Approximately 1,000 uniformed officers from around the state attended the funeral service at First Baptist Church in Modesto. Hundreds of citizens lined the streets of Ripon and Modesto to pay their respects as the funeral procession traveled to Burwood cemetery, where he was laid to rest. Among those paying respects were California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., and a spokesman for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.  Approximately 20 canine officers and their K9'S attended the service. Officer Bob Winget is survived by his wife of 33 years, Chris; daughters Ashley, 22, Kelley, 19, Bonnie, 16; and son, Edward Amey, 36. A memorial trust fund has been established to help Winget's family, law enforcement officials said. Donations can be made to Bank of Stockton, 234 W. Main St., Ripon 95366.

          

 

 

    

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Marine Cpl. Dustin Jerome Lee, 20, a Marine K9 handler, was killed on March 21, 2007 while conducting combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq, just six weeks before he was expected to return home. Dustin Lee died of injuries suffered in a mortor attack when shrapnel hit him in the chest and was medi-vaced out to an area hospital where he died a short time later.  Lee was assigned to Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, GA. before deploying for Iraq.  His dog Lex received injuries but non life-threatening. K9 "Lex" was sent back to the U.S. to attended his handlers funeral on March 31, 2007. Dusty's family is in the process of adopting Lex. Dustin was born in Meridian, Mississippi, graduated from Quitman High School in 2004. Dustin's father, Jerome Lee has been a trooper for Troop H of the Mississippi Highway Patrol since 1982. Survivors include his parents, Jerome and Rachel Rich Lee, younger brother Camryn Matthew Lee, and sister Madyson Taylor Lee. Donations may be made to any Bank Plus Branch, Jerome or Rachel Lee, Corporal Dustin Jerome Lee Memorial.

Corporal Phillip Michael Deese

Corporal Phillip Michael Deese, 38, was on patrol when an eastbound pickup truck crossed the median of I-26 near the Harleyville exit and slammed into his cruiser head on at 5:20 p.m. Deese and the driver of the pickup, 53-year-old Christopher Burnham Junior of Summerville, both died instantly. Deese's patrol dog, Sonja, was in the back of his cruiser and also died. The accident caused a chain reaction that involved three other vehicles in the wreck but no one in the other cars were seriously injured.  One, a 2006 Sebring, was driven by Desmona Brown, 27, of Johns Island, who was transported to Trident Regional Medical Center in North Charleston. The fourth vehicle was a 2003 silver Mutsibishi driven by Ashley Grimsburg, 20, of Rock Hill. She has two passengers with minor injures. The fifth vehicle was a 2005 Saturn, driven by a 23-year-old, who was not injured. Deese had been a Dorchester County deputy since May 2001 and was named Deputy of the Year by the South Carolina Sheriff's Association after he and a different police dog, K-9 "Bailey" were both shot during a domestic violence call on April 6, 2003. Deese stopped after he was flagged down by a woman, Ashley Phillips,35, of 105 Monarch Drive who said her husband, Timothy Matthew Phillips, 41, had a loaded shotgun. While he talked to her, her husband emerged from some bushes and started firing wounding Deputy Deese in the face, shoulder and chest but Deputy Deese was able to shoot back from his cruiser. Deese returned fire while he called for backup and an ambulance and reversed his car away from the shooter. Phillips continued shooting into the police vehicle as it backed away, hitting Deese's K-9 partner Bailey. Officer J. Dandridge arrived on the scene, helped Deese into the back of his patrol car and left the scene. He met the responding ambulance on Tupperway Drive and then transferred the deputy into the ambulance. Assessing wounds in the deputy's arm, face, shoulder and chest, EMS personnel asked Officer Dandridge to drive the ambulance so that they could begin to treat Deese. Deese had more than 100 pellets lodged in his arm and was looking at more surgery to remove them as they work their way out of his skin. Phillips was arrested at the scene as more than 20 units from various agencies arrived as backup. He was charged with criminal domestic violence, high and aggravated assault and battery with intent to kill, possession of a weapon in commission of a violent crime and malicious injury to a police dog. A jury found Phillips guilty of assault and battery with intent to kill, malicious injury to a police dog and the possession of a firearm during the commission of a violent crime. Phillips was sentenced to five years on the weapons charge, three years and a $2,000 fine for injuring the K-9 and 15 years for the assault on Deputy Deese, all to run concurrently. K-9 Bailey was retired and became a pet in the Deese household. Deese was both the recipient of a medal of valor and a deputy of the year honor. It is the first time in the history of the organization that one deputy received both honors. Corporal Deese served on the law enforcement agency's Special  Response Team and also the honor guard. At the request of the family, K-9 "Sonja" will be buried with Corporal Deese. Approximately 60 police K-9'S attended his funeral. He is survived by his wife Angela Jo, daughter Caley Lydia age 3, and two step-children, Brittani and Avery. A memorial fund has been established to help the Deese family and donations can be sent to Dorchester County Sheriff Office Memorial Fund, 212 Deming Way, Summerville, SC 29483.

On 1/11/07 just before 10 a.m., police were called to Murphy Oil USA on Hope Mills Road to look into a report of someone stealing gasoline. The person, who police say was Ricky Allen Wilson Jr., 23,  left the convenience store and was later seen in a van by field training officer. The field training officer recognized Wilson as being wanted on a previous warrant that involved unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. A passenger in Wilson’s vehicle was caught, but Wilson got away. Wilson was spotted in the afternoon by a sheriff’s deputy along Cameron Road and U.S. 301 and fled into a wooded area. Sergeant James Hardin and his K9 partner searched 45 minutes and 2 to 2 miles into the woods for Wilson who had fled from officers on foot. They approached a 6-foot fence the dog could not cross and were huddled to regroup when Hardin collapsed and died from a fatal heart attack. Hardin was rushed to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center where he was pronounced dead. Ricky Allen Wilson was caught about 5:15 p.m. on Perch Drive in Fayetteville. Hardin was in excellent shape and had passed a physical exam more than a month ago.  Sergeant Hardin had served with the Hope Mills Police Department for 9 years and was Police Officer of the Year in 2000 for the Town of Hope Mills. Hardin completed basic law enforcement training at Sampson Community College in May 1997. He became a patrol officer with the Hope Mills Police Department in August 1997. He worked his way up from officer to shift supervisor and to corporal in September 2004. On July 14, 2006, Hardin was promoted to sergeant. Hardin is a  Lumbee Native American Indian who was a ceremonial dancer and performed at many powwows. Hardin served as head dancer, one of the highest honors for a dancer, on several occasions at powwows. He was one of the young fancy Native dancers who went to Europe to participate in the Carnivale in Nice, France and partially responsible for the US bringing home the 1st place trophy.  A memorial fund has been set up at First Citizens Bank. Donations may be directed to The Heath Hardin Memorial Fund, c/o First Citizens Bank, 3626 N. Main St., Hope Mills, N.C. 28348. Hardin is survived by his wife, Shelly C. Hardin; daughter, Samantha Yvette Hardin; and son, James Mason Hardin. 

Ricky Allen Wilson Jr., 23, is charged with felony fleeing to elude arrest, driving with a revoked license, larceny of fuel, misdemeanor possession of stolen goods, driving with a fictitious or revoked registration plate, reckless driving to endanger and being the driver in a hit-and-run and failing to stop for property damage. He previously was wanted in an attempted break-in of a house. His total bail was set at $2,500.

 

On June 13,  2002, Officer Robert Fumiatti, along with about 10 officers had just finished a drug raid in another section of New Haven when they drove up to Washington and West streets in an unmarked van. They spotted what they thought was a hand-to-hand drug deal and stopped the vehicle. Fumiatti was the first officer out. He was shot  before he could draw his gun at 9:15 p.m.  Arnold Bell, 36, shot Officer Fumiatti with a 38 caliber Colt Cobra revolver and then fled from police.  Fumiatti's heart stopped and was restarted in the ambulance on the way to the emergency room at Yale-New Haven Hospital and arrived there at 9:25 p.m. He was dead for 3 minutes and 43 seconds. The single bullet entered Fumiatti's right cheek about level with the bottom of his ear and ricocheted downward off a molar, ripping through the esophagus and cracking his top vertebra in officer's Fumiatti’s  neck. The bullet, which was never removed, caused partial paralysis to his arm. Up to 100 officers quickly converged on the scene in a massive manhunt for the shooter and cordoned off a nearly six-block area as they search yard by yard with shepherds and a blood hound along with state police helicopters. A police SWAT team found Bell hiding under a bush in a yard 50 yards from family members at approximately 2 a.m. and arrested him after a four -and-a-half hour search through the city's neighborhood. Superior Court Judge Holly Abery-Wetstone set bail at 5 million after Arnold Bell was arrested. For weeks Fumiatti was in critical condition. He had to wear a halo brace for 4 1/2 months bolted to his head for the resulting cervical fracture. He spent a month in the hospital and suffered partial paralysis of one arm for months and spent a year in intense physical therapy. He had frequent visits to his physicians to keep track of a pacemaker he was given to help him recover with his injuries. At the time of the incident, Fumiatti was a three and a half year veteran of the New Haven Police Department and was assigned to the patrol unit.  After Robert Fumiatti was shot in the face he was out of work for 18 months and then returned to work in January 26, 2004 as a K-9 Handler after intensive rehab, even though a bullet remained lodged near his spine. He was later diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered several setbacks that put him on leave for awhile. Fumiatti’s father, Vin, retired in 1994 as a detective from the New Haven Police Department. On September 14, 2004 Robert was awarded the purple heart by New Haven officials.  On January 10, 2007 Officer Robert Fumiatti died of natural causes related to cardiac sarcoidosis an autopsy showed. Officer Fumiatti was buried with his badge, # 24, the same badge worn by his father and now that badge number will be retired and never worn again. Approximately one thousand mourners attended his funeral along with dozens of police canines. He is survived by his wife Stacey and their three children, Madelyn 7, Caitlyn 3 and Vinnie 2.   His  K-9 narcotic dog is "Major".

Nearly five years of appealing the federal decision, the Fumiatti family convinced the courts that Robert did ultimately die in the line of duty and his name was finally added to the National Law Enforcement Officer's Memorial wall in Washington, D.C. in 2011.

On June 15, 2002, Michael Rice, 37, of Milford, was arrested in connection with the shooting  He was accused of providing the .38-caliber gun used to wound Officer Robert Fumiatti during a drug raid who was later released on bond. The police earlier arrested Arnold Bell, 36, charging him with attempted murder and assault on a police officer.  In February 2003, Gary Mills, 40, of New Haven, Connecticut, was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2003 in connection with the possession of a .38 caliber Colt Cobra revolver. He pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm that had traveled in interstate commerce as evidence was about to begin in his jury trial in New Haven federal court. Documents filed with the Court, in December 2001, reveal that a crack-addicted individual gave Mills the .38 caliber revolver in connection with a drug transaction. Specifically, Mills took the gun and provided the addict with a quantity of crack cocaine. The record in the case reflects that Mills maintained possession of the weapon until February 2002, when he transferred the gun to Arnold Bell of New Haven. Several months later, on June 13, 2002, Bell shot New Haven police officer Robert Fumiatti in the face with the weapon. On June 14, 2002, Bell was found in a yard at 2:00 a.m. after a short manhunt and a judge set the bond for $ 5 million. The gun was recovered at the scene of the officer’s shooting. Court records reflect that, prior to December 2001, Mills had been convicted of numerous felony offenses. As a result of his prior record, Mills faces the enhanced sentencing penalties applicable under the federal Armed Career Criminal Act. At that time, Mills faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years of imprisonment and a maximum term of life. On April 6, 2004, a jury of four men and two women deliberated for about a day before finding Arnold Bell, 38, guilty of first-degree assault, carrying a pistol without a permit and criminal possession of a firearm. Bell also has been convicted of a federal firearms charge related to the shooting, and had an extensive criminal history. At the time of the shooting Police found three latex gloves, including one that was caught in a gun, near the site of the shooting. Two of the gloves, with Bells palm prints inside, were found near a home owned by Bell's father. On June 4, 2004, Superior Court Judge Robert Devlin Jr. imposed a sentence for Arnold Bell of 45 years. The state is now looking into charging Arnold Bell with Capital Felony Murder. Bell has prior convictions going back to 1982. Bell was first jailed Dec. 6, 1982, at age 16, when he was taken to the New Haven Correctional Center on charges of second-degree and third-degree robbery, according to state records. He was discharged after posting $25,000 bail that same day.  Bell was readmitted to the same jail Jan. 3, 1983 on the robbery charges and discharged Jan. 12, 1983. In the years that followed, Bell was arrested on a series of larceny charges as well as first-degree robbery and violation of probation.  Bell was incarcerated at the Manson Youth Institute in Cheshire from Sept. 18, 1984 to March 31, 1985.  In July 1985 Bell was again arrested, this time for breach of peace and carrying a pistol without a permit. He served time in several correctional centers until being discharged in June 1986.  Bell got into further trouble with the law in February 1988 when he was arrested on charges of first-degree and third-degree assault. He was in prison from April 28, 1988 to May 26, 1988, when he was released to a community residence.  But in September 1988 Bell was arrested on charges of selling narcotics and possessing narcotics with intent to sell. He was in prison on state charges from March 1989 to December 1995, but was retained in custody after that because of a federal charge: being a felon in possession of a firearm.  Bell had been on prison furlough Jan. 14, 1994, when New Haven police caught him with a 9-mm assault weapon. The gun also appeared to have been stolen, officials said, because its serial number had been obliterated. In August 1996 state prison officials turned Bell over to federal authorities and he began serving his federal sentence in New York and New Jersey prisons. Gary Mills pleaded guilty in October 2006 to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Gary Mills was sentenced on January 22, 2007 to 15 years and eight months in prison for possessing a gun to shoot Officer Robert Fumiatti.

Staff Sergeant Kiril Golenshein, 21, of Moshav Shekef, was killed by a sniper's bullet as his unit entered the town of Beit Hanun in the Gaza Strip in pursuit of terrorists firing Kassam rockets at Israel. Golenshein was a member of the IDF's elite Oketz (Sting) canine unit. Sgt. Golenshin and his German Shepherd "Mako" were at the spearhead of the IDF's nightly war against Palestinian terror. Golenshin was at the front of the force when he was shot in the leg  while leading the charge on a house in Beit Hanoun. As an only child, Kiril could have opted for a non-combat position during his service, but he insisted on combat. He died one week before he was to begin a commanders' course. St.-Sgt. Kiril Golenshein was buried at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl Military Cemetery.

Officer Thomas Wood, 37, was shot and killed on 10/23/06 while sitting in his police patrol car with his window rolled down and his truck in park in the suburban village of Maywood, Illinois. Wood was found shot once in the back of the head, twice in the side of the head and once in the chest,  and  slumped over the steering wheel of his police-issued SUV at 11:17 p.m. When he was found his SUV had the drivers side window down, vehicle in park with the engine running and his weapon and wallet were still on him. He was pronounced dead at 11:43 p.m. at the nearby Loyola University Medical Center. Wood was a seven-year department veteran and served as a  K-9 officer for the past 2 ½ years and is the first on-duty slaying of a police officer in the department's history. The shooting happened near 6th Avenue and Erie Street. Wood worked the 3 p.m.-to-midnight shift for the police department and was on his last call of the night when the shooting occurred. Wood's canine partner "Daro", a malinois shepherd, was in the police car during the shooting but was not injured. Wood was shot after notifying dispatchers that a drug trafficking call he investigated was unfounded. Officer Wood  also worked as a part-time security officer at Proviso East High School in Maywood and at a Target store in Broadview.  Before joining the Maywood Police Department, Wood was a reserve officer with the Schiller Park Police Department from 1992 to 1996 and worked part time for the Stone Park Police Department from 1995 to 1997. He joined the Maywood force in 1999. Officer Wood is survived by his wife Helene, 36, and five children ranging in age from 8 to 16 years old. ( Nicholas, Alyssa, Kyle, Devin, Savannah ) Wood and his wife, Helene, were married for eight years and had two children together — a 6-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. He also helped raise three other children from his wife's previous marriage. An estimated 1,500 mourners attended the funeral service along with about 20 K-9 units. The suspect fled the scene and remains at large. Maywood investigators asked the public for help finding the shooter. Those with information have been asked to call the Maywood Police Department at 708-450-4409 or 708-450-4471. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer of Maywood Police Officer Thomas Wood. The reward is sponsored by Aftermath Inc., a company that specializes in crime-scene cleanups. On November 8, 2006 the $10,000 reward was increased to $30,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killing of Officer Thomas Wood. The increase in the award was due to police agencies around the region that donated approximately $10,000, the village of Maywood contributed approximately $10,000 along with $10,000 contributed by Aftermath who put up the initial reward money. Also on November 8, 2006 at a village board meeting an ordinance to retire Wood's German shepherd "Daro" was approved.  The ownership of the dog will be transferred to the Wood family because the dog would be useful to the department for about one more year and the dog would be more comfortable living with the family. On November 16, 2006 the award money was increased again from $30,00 to $100,000 when an anonymous donor donated $70,000. The F.B.I. joined in with the investigation on January 15, 2008 and is asking anyone with any information about the slaying to call the F.B.I.'S Chicago office at 312-421-6700. A memorial fund has been established at 1st Suburban National Bank, 150 S. 5th Avenue, Maywood, Illinois 60153. Donations may be made to Thomas T. Wood Children's Trust Fund.  The bank can be reached at 708-450-4100.

Funeral ( click on link below )

apps.thedmonline.com/ss/200610261/

Canine Officer, Robert Langley, 30, of Oxford died on 10/21/06 during a motor vehicle stop involving a student  of the University of Mississippi. Officer Michelle Thompson and Officer Robert Langley were setting up to catch speeders on campus. Officer Langley radioed Officer Thompson that he had clocked a black Ford F-150 doing 40 in an 18 mph zone. Officer Thompson had stopped Daniel Reed Cummings, 20, a second-year sophomore liberal arts major student, about 2 a.m. for speeding westbound on Fraternity Row.  The driver, stopped on Jackson Avenue and Officer Thompson approached the vehicle and asked for his drivers license. Officer Langley approached from the other side and began looking with a flashlight in the truck cab. Cummings handed over his drivers license while Officer Thompson continued to talk to him. Officer Thompson asked Cummings for his proof of insurance. He opened the truck's door and stood out, then reached as though he was reaching for the glove compartment, jumped in the truck quickly pulling away. Officer Langley reached into the truck while Cummings drove off down Jackson Street with Langley running beside the truck. Langley attempted to hold on as the truck approached the intersection of Jackson and Hathorn streets as the truck accelerated and swerved dragging Officer Langley about 200 yards. Langley suffered severe head injuries and was taken by helicopter to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, where he was pronounced dead about 11 a.m. Langley, a four-year veteran of the 30-officer department, also served in the Mississippi Army National Guard and recently became a canine officer and certified his police K9 “Truus”. He returned in April after a tour in Afghanistan as a field artillery man with the Guard's 1st Battalion of the 114th Artillery. and is the first University of Mississippi officer killed in the line of duty. Langley was a 4-year veteran of the University Police Department. Oxford police found the vehicle in town about 20 minutes later and soon after found Cummings a couple of miles away at his off-campus apartment.   Langley is survived by wife, Lisa, two sons and two stepdaughters. About 1,000 people attended the funeral of Robert Langley who was buried with full military honors. During the full military honor, a bugler sounded “Taps,” a bagpiper played “Amazing Grace,” an honor guard offered a 21-gun salute, and a brace of helicopters from the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Office performed a flyover of the site. Officer Langley received the Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon and the Mississippi War Medal. During a football game on October 28, 2006 at the University of Mississippi's Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, students passed around buckets for contributions to the 55,000 football fans and collected $114,730.69 for the Robert Langley Children's Fund. Contributions to the children's funds can be sent to Kristy Cohron at M & F Bank, 1111 Jackson Avenue, Oxford, MS.  Family and friends also have established the Robert Langley Memorial Scholarship Endowment to provide scholarships for Ole Miss criminal justice majors and gifts to that fund can be sent to the University of Mississippi Foundation, P.O. Box 249, University, MS 38677.  Contributions can also be made online at www.umf.olemiss.edu/langley/

Daniel Reed Cummings, who is from Germantown, Tenn., has been charged with capital murder. He was being held without bond in the Lafayette County Detention Center. If convicted, Cummings could face the death penalty for capital murder of a police officer. A background check by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations revealed that a man by the same name and address as Cummings had been arrested twice in that state for vandalism. and cited for speeding in a school zone. The vandalism arrests were made on June 1, 2005 and March 31, 2005, and expunged from the record in July, officials said. There was a probationary period, and at the end of that period parts of that probation were met and a judge signed off on it.  During the bond hearing on November 8, 2006, prosecutors say in a motion that Cummings tested positive for alcohol, cocaine and marijuana in his system the morning Robert Langley was killed and requested a continuance. The lead prosecutor announced on November 20, 2006 that the state will not seek the death penalty against Daniel Reed Cummings. A conviction could result in life in prison without parole or life in prison with possibility of parole. A hearing has been reset for November 29, 2006 and Daniel Cummings was denied bond.

On October 15, 2007, Daniel Reed Cummings was sentenced to 20 years in prison under a plea agreement reached on the weekend before his trial with prosecutors and Langley's widow, Lisa, and the officer's parents. The plea was made before Lafayette County Circuit Court Judge Andrew Howorth. The court accepted the prosecutors recommendation that Cummings also be ordered to pay court costs and he will receive credit for the year he has already spent in the Lafayette County Detention Center and will be required to serve 85 percent of his sentence which would be 17 years.  After his guilty plea, Cummings wanted to address Langley's widow, but she indicated that she did not want to hear from him.

Sheriff Deputy Vernon Matthew "Matt" Williams

Deputy Matt Williams Tribute

http://www.theledger.com/static/flash_video/20061004_matt_williams/index.html

Polk County Sheriff Deputy, Vernon Matthew "Matt" Williams, 39, was shot and killed along with his K-9 Diogi on 9/28/06.  The incident started at 11:45 a.m. during a routine traffic stop for speeding near North Wabash Avenue and West 10th Street in Lakeland, Florida. He stopped a silver Dodge Stratus with a Kentucky license plates that zoomed by doing 53 mph in a 35-mph zone. Deputy Douglas Speirs, 39, who made the traffic stop was asked by the suspect if he was going to jail and the deputy replied that he didn't know. He claimed to be Eswardo Ramclaim. He said he had left his Florida identification card at home in Orlando. He told Speirs he didn't have a driver license and didn't know his Social Security number.  Freeland asked whether he was going to jail. "It's not common practice if it's just a simple misdemeanor of no driver's license," Speirs told him. The deputy indicated he was going to try to search for "Eswardo Ramclaim" on his cruiser's computer. Eswardo Ramclain was an alias for Freeman. He was told to use his cell phone to arrange for someone to pick him up because he wouldn't be able to drive the car farther without a license. Spiers went back to his vehicle and was watching him in his side view mirror and noticed his eyes locked on him and not dialing his cell phone.  Spiers couldn't find any record of the name on the card.  Suddenly Freeland ,  jumped out and ran into the woods. Spiers chased him for about 100 yards then called for backup. Matt Williams, arrived to provide backup with his K-9 German shepherd “Doigi” who he was partnered with since 2000. The suspect then fled into a wooded area nearby, pursued by the two deputies and K-9 Doigi who went into the woods approximately 300 feet. At 12:30 p.m., numerous shots were fired and Speirs took cover, then went toward the gunshots. He saw the suspect and returned fire. The suspect disappeared again before popping back up and shooting Spiers. Sheriff Deputy Williams and his K-9 Doigi were shot and killed instantly. Deputy Douglas Speirs, who is married and has two sons, was shot in the leg and treated and released later that day from Lakeland Regional Medical Center.  The suspect later exchanged gunfire about 20 minutes later when Lakeland Police Detective Jeff Birdwell and Officer Jose Bosque when they pulled into Paul Prebor's driveway at 1446 N. Wabash Avenue to warn residents to stay inside. Prebor said they asked him whether the man in the back yard had any business being there. When Prebor said no, the man, instead of running, came toward the three men and shot at least twice, Prebor said. He said Birdwell shot back twice as the gunman disappeared. Two shots hit an overhang on a utility room.  No one was hit. After the suspect fled into the woods they found a book detailing his drug transactions in the vehicle. Deputy Williams had been with the sheriff's office since April  1994 and prior to that he was a correctional officer at the state prison in Polk City. Post mortem results released showed Williams was shot eight times - one bullet fired at close range behind the deputy's right ear and another in his right temple, right leg, right wrist, upper right arm, right buttocks and spine, left bicep and rear left thigh. Williams was not wearing a protective vest at the time. His K-9 partner "Doigi" was shot once in the chest. Williams died on his  wife's 40th birthday. Two days before his death, Matt Williams ordered an ice cream cake -- with Oreo cookies, cherries and chocolate drizzle -- for his wife's 40th birthday which was going to be celebrated with the cake he was going to  pick up the day he died and never got the chance to pick the birthday cake up . During Williams' funeral service,  Williams' casket was moved into the Victory Church while his patrol car sat outside the church. Williams' retired canine deputy, "Rocky", attended the service. During the service a slideshow showed candid photos of Williams with his family and his police dog Diogi while Lionel Richie's "Endless Love" and Bob Carlisle's "Butterfly Kisses" played during interludes between eulogies. The funeral service was to be held at 1:00 p.m. but because of such a heavy turn out the service at the cemetery was almost 7:00 p.m. It took more than 2 hours for the funeral procession to travel 12 miles from the church to the cemetery. More than 200 police dogs attended the funeral. Nineteen police helicopters flew a missing man formation over the service, one helicopter peeling off to signify the slain deputy. Two nameplates were fastened on the lid of the casket, the first one said, "Vernon Matt Williams, 1967-2006." The second said, "Diogi, 2003-2006." More than 5,000 people attended the memorial service while the bagpipers played "Amazing Grace" and a traditional Scottish song called "Going Home." The ceremonies ended at the gravesite, when a dispatcher called out his name two times, and then his badge number 3655K was retired forever. Williams K-9 partner, Diogi, was  cremated and the dog's remains were placed with Deputy Williams to be buried together at the Auburndale Memorial Cemetery and to this day remains the largest funeral attendance for a canine officer.  Sheriff Deputy Vernon Matthew Williams leaves a wife, Nancy Jean Williams, and three children -- 16-year-old twins, Jimmy Allen Williams and Amanda Rochelle Williams, and son Christopher Matthew Williams, 19. Since the death of Officer Williams and his K9 partner "Diogi", business leaders in the community have been very gracious and continue to provide financial support for his family. A motorcycle poker run, raised $57,000 for the family and a golf tournament raised $56,000 for the family.  An October 2006 benefit dinner raised $4,500 for the family. An anonymous donor  donated a new Ford Escape to the family. Wal-Mart Foundation donated $750 to Williams' widow, Nancy Williams and their three children. About $50,000 has also been donated to the Sheriff's Office toward the purchase of new K-9s; several dogs have already been bought and are in training. A trust fund has been set up at Wachovia Bank to assist Williams' widow and three children. Any Wachovia branch in Polk County will accept donations, or checks may be mailed to the "Matt Williams Family Trust Fund" at Wachovia Bank, c/o Marilyn Watson, 203 Ave. A, Winter Haven, FL 33881.

The gunman they were looking for was a black man with dreadlocks and was about 6 feet tall wearing a white or khaki shirt and dark pants and speaks with a Jamaican accent. A $ 40,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the gunman's arrest. Officers had used night-vision scopes, tracking dogs, helicopters, thermal imaging and door-to-door searches to try to locate the suspect.  SWAT team members shot a man at approximately 9:35 a.m. on 9/29/06 suspected of killing a sheriff's deputy approximately 22 hours earlier, ending an intensive manhunt that had gripped the rural area and included over 500 police. The suspect, Angilo Freeland,27, was shot numerous times after he was found in thick brush, just 75 yards away from where Deputy Vernon Matthew Williams was killed in Thursday's burst of gunfire. The suspect had dug under a fallen oak tree and covered himself with brush The suspect refused to show both of his hands when officers commanded him to and officers opened fire after seeing that he appeared to have Williams' .45-caliber weapon.  It was unclear if the man also fired the gun. In addition to the deputy's handgun, the suspect was also carrying his own gun, A 9-mm Taurus pistol -- one that sources said he carried in his belt and in one of the pockets of his cargo pants was a magazine of ammunition taken from Williams. Wildlife Officer Robert Miller,  from about three yards away, fired a shotgun at Freeland's face. After shooting, Miller jumped back, falling onto his backside, causing other officers to think he had been shot. A cascade of fire ensued, killing Freeland. The officers, most of them firing automatic weapons. A 10 member SWAT team, in which 9 members   fired 110 shots at Angilo Freeland, 68 hitting him according to post mortem results. Freeland was hit numerous times: 11 shots to his torso and 56 to his arms and legs. One shot struck under Freeland's left eye. Investigators recovered the silver-colored handgun between Freeland's legs. It was identified as Williams' missing .45-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic pistol. The weapon was ready to fire with eight shots. Williams' spare magazines were in Freeland's pockets with an additional nine rounds of ammunition. Investigators don't know whether Speirs accidentally hit Williams' body during his exchange of gunfire with Freeland. Two loose bullets were found at the hospital. One was loose in Williams' right pant leg and another on a gurney near Williams' waist area. Testing showed these bullets were fired from Speirs' pistol. Speirs acted appropriately that day and was cleared in his use of deadly force against Freeland. Freeland had been arrested by the Florida Highway Patrol on April 24, 1999 when Trooper Helen McCoy pulled over a Ford truck for speeding on West Highland Street, about 2.5 miles away from where Deputy Williams was fatally shot. The driver stuck his hands out the window, but pulled them back inside and was making some suspicious movements in the vehicle as Trooper Helen McCoy approached the arrest report states. The driver refused orders for him to show his hands and sped away with troopers in pursuit, an arrest report states. The driver later abandoned the truck and ran away. Troopers searched the truck and found a .380-caliber handgun in the center console "with a round in the chamber and safety off." They also discovered a pawn shop receipt for a "Russian SKS rifle" that included an address for 2415 W. Cannon St., according to a defense motion to suppress. It is unclear whether the pawn ticket was for dropping off or picking up the assault rifle. Troopers went to the West Cannon Street house, where Freeland was arrested after McCoy identified him as the driver of the truck. He was charged with not having a valid drivers license, reckless driving, aggravated fleeing to elude, resisting arrest without violence and carrying a concealed weapon. Prosecutors elected May 27, 1999, not to file a charge of carrying a concealed firearm against Freeland. He remained free on $2,000 bail but failed to show up for a Nov. 16, 1999 court date, court records show. Court records show he barricaded himself in his home and disappeared before his trial could begin. Prosecutors dropped his case after a warrant for his arrest was issued but sat unserved until March 2005.  Freeland's charges were dropped  by the prosecutors on March 7, 2005.  Records also show Freeland may have lived on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. St. Thomas police said a man by that name and age was arrested on the island. Authorities said he used several aliases, including Alex or Andrew Cloxton. On June 5, 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice cleared the Polk County Sheriff's Office of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of Angilo Freeland. After careful consideration the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that the evidence didn't establish a prosecutable violation of the federal civil rights statutes and closed their investigation.

Michael D. Thomas, 52, was shot to death on 9/20/06 by a  man they who was already being sought in a random shooting in Denver two days earlier. Thomas was on a lunch break during a daylong training exercise when he was shot in the left side while waiting for the light to change on Peoria Street at Montview Boulevard. It wasn't clear whether the suspect realized that Thomas was a police officer. Thomas was on duty at the time but wearing civilian clothes in his own personal vehicle. Two corrections officers, George Kessler and Jason Mayfield, who were returning from lunch to a training facility came upon the scene when the shooting occurred and scrambled out of their van and tackled the suspect , whom police identified as Brian Allen Washington, 27, of Denver. While the two correction officers were scuffling with the suspect, a good samaritan, Paul Brandin, 51, who was driving through the intersection stopped his vehicle and saw the suspect drop a gun and kicked it to a safe spot underneath a car where no one could get it. Washington is being held without bail in Adams County Jail on investigation of first-degree homicide.  Paramedics rushed Thomas to University of Colorado Hospital in Denver, where he was pronounced dead at 12:35 p.m.  Michael Thomas after graduating from Hinkley High School in 1972, joined the Air Force to become an F-16 jet mechanic. He left the service in 1982 and a $70,000 job with the Air Force Thunderbirds to work with the Aurora Police Department for less than $20,000 because he wanted to become a police officer and help people. Thomas served as a patrolman, a canine officer and a narcotics detective. He had been promoted to detective in April 2005 and recently was assigned to District 3 in southeast Aurora. During his career, Thomas had been decorated more than a dozen times, including a 1992 Medal of Honor, the department's highest award. Detective Thomas had served with the Aurora Police Department for 24 years and is survived by his 27 year old daughter, Nicole Bantau. His K-9 partner was "Hutch". Over 7,000 people attended Detective Thomas's funeral. As many as 1,000 uniformed officers and deputies, including many from other states were at the service to pay tribute to Thomas. People lined the streets as the funeral procession of 750 police cars followed the hearse as it passed under a giant American flag held up by fire truck ladders. Detective Thomas was remembered with a special ceremony by releasing 21 white doves to honor all police officers, then 3 doves were let go to honor the other three Aurora officers killed in the line of duty, and then a final dove in honor of Detective Michael Thomas.

Brian Allen Washington has a lengthy adult arrest history going back to January 1999 for speeding in Douglas County. He also had traffic citations for not having insurance and driving without a license in 1999. In November 1999 he was arrested in Aurora for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. He pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a fine of about $200.00. In 2001, Denver Police found a bag of what they suspected was crack cocaine and a bag of marijuana in his car, and he was charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance. Later that year Washington pleaded guilty to possession of Valium and was sentenced to a two-year deferred judgment with supervised probation. Washington failed drug tests for marijuana  or failed to show up for drug tests at least eight times. In 2003 Washington was sentenced to two years in prison because of violations. Washington was arrested in January of 2006 in Adams County on charges of possession of marijuana and driving with a revoked license. He was wanted on a warrant for failure to appear in court on those charges when he was stopped in August of 2006 in Denver. Officers found a large bag of marijuana between the passenger seat and passenger door and a search of the car also turned up a loaded 9 mm handgun under the passenger seat. Three days later, Washington faced two felony charges and a $25,000 bond, court records show. By the end of the day, the felonies had been dropped by the Denver District Attorney's Office and Washington had been released after plea - bargaining four old traffic violations which he had previously failed to appear in court. Washington agreed to a plea bargain that gave him 180 days in jail - although 135 of those were suspended and 40 were to be spent on home detention.  He served five days. Washington still hadn't gone on home detention because - continuing a pattern - he failed to appear for his appointment with a probation officer to be fitted with an ankle bracelet. Washington is being held without bond and facing first degree murder in the connection of Officer Thomas' death. Washington was charged on September 21, 2006 with 1st degree murder. On September 25,  2006 he was charged with seven additional charges of attempted first degree murder, attempted first degree assault, second degree assault, felony menacing, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and a crime of violence.  A preliminary hearing for Washington was set for Dec. 7, 2006.  Judge C. Vincent Phelps ordered Washington to stand trial on seven charges for Thomas' death, including a count of first-degree murder of a police officer which carries the death penalty if he is convicted of first degree murder. On January 10, 2007, Washington pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity in Adams County District Court for a previous shooting where he allegedly shot at a woman. Washington's is already serving 26 years in prison in connection with an unrelated case in Denver. On March 12, 2007 the Adams County district attorney decided not to seek the death penalty against Washington. Todd L. Nelson, Washington's attorney, told Adams County District Judge C. Vincent Phelps on March 12, 2007 that Washington plans to change his plea to not guilty by reason of insanity. His case is set for trial for March, 2008. 

An Adams County jury, after a 19 – day trial and 17 hours of deliberations convicted Brian Allen Washington of second-degree murder but acquitted him of a more serious first-degree murder charge in the shooting of Detective Michael Thomas.  The jury also convicted Washington of attempted first-degree assault, as well as second-degree assault for striking Officer Scott Osgood, who subdued Washington after the shooting. Brian Allen Washington, was sentenced April 6, 2009 to eighty years in prison.

Sgt. Rick Elliot, 50, passed away on May 24, 2006 at his home in Hutchinson, Kansas. Elliott's wife walked in the bathroom to find her husband dead.  He was a Master Trainer, Judge for the Kansas Police Dog Association,  head K-9 handler for the Hutchinson Correctional Facility, trainer for Southern Police Canine in North Carolina and held and hosted several dog seminars. He was also the Owner of Elliott's Police K-9. His certifications included patrol, narcotics, tracking, and explosives. In 1998, Rick was one of a handful of dog handlers who started the Kansas Police Dog Association. For nearly 20 years, he worked at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility with bloodhounds and german shepherds.  He trained dogs throughout the world receiving 12 formal commendation letters and numerous awards. Elliott leaves behind a wife and two sons. A memorial fund has been set up for Rick’s wife and two sons with the Hutchinson Government Employees Credit Union. Donations can be sent to: HGECU c/o Rick Elliott Memorial Fund, 121 E. Avenue "A", Hutchinson Kansas 67501

Sergeant Darryl Tsujimoto, 41, died of a heart attack during  K-9 training on 5/1/06 at 9:00 p.m. on Treasure Island. Sergeant Tsujimoto of Alamo had just run a half a mile with a department dog, leading the exercise to track a suspect, when he collapsed. He collapsed at the same point the dog located the pretend bad guy.  At the time his fellow officers didn't know if this was part of the training. His partner thought he was just adding something to the scenario. She questioned him for a second, and he wasn't responsive." Tsujimoto was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He handled K-9 Loki, a German shepherd, and K-9 Barak, a Belgian Malinois. Both were dogs he had owned, trained and donated to the department. He also trained many other K-9'S and donated them to smaller police departments that did not have a K9 unit or that did not have the funding for one. Many police departments in California sent their officers to train with Sergeant Tsujimoto because he was known for his expertise in K-9 training.  Under Tsujimoto's leadership, the canine unit won gold medals in several national competitions. Tsujimoto had also served in the Mission, Taraval, Park and Tenderloin Task Force stations, and in the narcotics and vice units. Sergeant Tsujimoto was a 15-year San Francisco Police veteran who headed the department's nine member canine unit since 1999.  Seventy canine teams attended Darryl's memorial service. Tsujimoto was engaged to be married to Sonia Rosenberger, a veterinarian. Both K-9's, Loki and Barak were retired from the San Francisco Police Department in honor of Darryl and returned to his fiance, Sonia and family. On June 30, 2007, a donation in the amount of 1 million dollars was made by San Francisco philanthropist Nina Ireland which will help finance the care of retired police dogs after their years of dedicated and tireless hard work. Ireland made the donation in honor of Sgt.Tsujimoto. During Darryl's lifetime, he had always wanted to set up a fund in memory of his first shepherd, Whompus, for charitable purposes that benefited other animals. Donations can be sent to the Whompus Tsujimoto Fund at P.O. Box 635, Alamo, CA. 94507 in both Darryl and Whompus's memories.

Corporal Brian C. Putman, 32, of West Monroe, Louisiana, died April 15, 2006, from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident while off duty. The accident occurred after 1 p.m. in West Monroe. A white Chevrolet, driven by Billy Battle, 36, of West Monroe, turned left in front of Putman, who was riding a motorcycle on Constitution Drive. Battle was issued a citation for failure to yield while turning left. Battle was not injured in the accident.  Corporal Putman was pronounced dead by the Ouachita Parish Coroner's Office at Glenwood Regional Medical Center. Putman had been with the Monroe Police Department for several years. Brian's canine companion, K-9 Jerry, who he was just partnered with for 3 months was given to another handler and continued working with the Monroe Police Department. He was a member of the National Police Canine Association, Louisiana Union of Police Association, International Union of Police Association, Monroe Police Department of Relief Association and the Monroe Police Department Union Local 81.

Steve Vitale, 55, was shot and killed on April 10, 2006. Steve was a retired police officer who was a member of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department  for over 22  years.  He was the Director of Operations, K-9 Division for GSS Security Services.  Before joining GSS Security Services, he was a regional security supervisor for New England Motor Freight for seven years and four years as a security specialist for Federal Express. On the night of his death, his wife Karen who was with him, said they were trailed by a green Honda in what is being called a road rage incident. The driver of the green Honda then started waiving a gun at them when both vehicles exited onto Victory Road. Mr. & Mrs. Vitale were on there way to the Dynasty Taste Restaurant in the Kenbar Plaza in New Springville at about 7:00 p.m. when the driver of the green Honda then parked on Richmond Hill Road and walked into the parking lot and shot 15 rounds at Steven Vitale and his wife with a 9mm Glock semi-automatic gun as he and his wife of 19 years stepped out of their SUV. The Vitale's were returning from a weekend in Atlantic City, where they were celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary. Steve Vitale was pronounced dead at Staten Island University Hospital North. One bullet also penetrated the back of the truck and hit Vitale’s 4 -year-old black Labrador retriever in the left ear, a bomb sniffing dog named Philly, who was treated at the Veterinary Emergency Center and is expected to survive.  The gunman then sped off in the Honda. Using a license number provided by a witness, the police traced the car to a house on Travis Avenue, less than a mile from the mall. Allen Lau, 46, surrendered about 3 a.m. after a six-hour standoff at his home. Steve Vitale started the Port Authority emergency services unit and the torch run, which benefits the Special Olympics. He was awarded the Medal of Valor after the 1993 twin towers attack. Mr. Vitale was a Vietnam vet and is survived by his wife Karen and three daughters, Stefanie 29, Dawn Marie 27, and Michelle 24.

Allen Lau, a retired NYPD officer, has been charged with second degree murder. Lau retired from the Manhattan 17th precinct in February of 2005. He was taken to Staten Island University North for treatment of a head injury after an alcohol-induced fall after surrendering to police.  On May 19, 2006, Allen Lau,  A former city police officer, was indicted on 23 counts in connection with the killing a former Port Authority officer in an apparent case of road rage. He is being charged with second-degree murder and weapons possession in an indictment that included 21 weapons charges. Lau is also charged with the attempted murder of Vitale's wife, who was also in the car at the time and is being held without bail. On June 2, 2008 Judge Stephen Rooney denied to have the murder trial case moved off Staten Island. Jury selection for the case was to start on June 9, 2008. On June 9, 2008 in State Supreme Court on Staten Island, Mr. Lau pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in exchange for a 21-year prison sentence. The original murder charge carried a maximum penalty of 25 years to life. The plea deal avoided a lengthy appeals process for an ongoing quest for an insanity defense plea deal will avoid a lengthy appeals process and thwart Lau's ongoing quest for an insanity defense. Vitale's family agreed with the plea bargain. Before Allen Lau was sentenced on June 24, 2008, Mrs. Vitale addressed Allen Lau and said, "You should be a retired police officer, a person who took an oath to protect and serve," "Instead," Mrs. Vitale said, "you are a disgrace to the men and women who go out every day and put their lives on the line to uphold the law." Lau reacted to the scolding by turning his head toward the widow and with no remorse and disrespect belched at her.  Allen Lau was then sentenced by Judge Stephen J. Rooney to 21 years in prison and and five years post release supervision. 

A law suit was  filed June 26, 2006 in the amount of $100 million against the city and the NYPD by the widow of Steven Vitale, Mrs. Karen Vitale.  The claim alleges that the city of New York and the NYPD were "negligent, careless, and reckless in the hiring, training, monitoring, disciplining, supervising, and retention of New York City police officer Allen Lau."  The claim seeks damages for negligence, personal injuries, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, property damage, economic loss, loss of consortium, and other charges.

Massachusetts State Trooper, Sgt. Kathleen M. Barrett, died March 23, 2006 after a long battle with cancer at the age of 53 after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. Kathleen Barrett joined the Massachusetts State Police in 1980 and became one of the top canine officers in the region. Kathleen was a Master Trainer in Utility and Cadaver with the North American Police Work Dog Association. She traveled along the East Coast over the years with her specially trained dogs to work with other officers in a wide range of law enforcement searches and considered a nationally renowned trainer of cadaver dog teams. Sgt. Kathleen Barrett was involved in many high profile cases which  involved  searching for serial killer victims, combing the rubble of the World Trade Center for bodies after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and worked the devastated neighborhoods of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and also helped the Royal Canadian Mounted Police only to mention a few. She had countless searches that involved 22 states. Despite her illness, she was out on a search the same month she passed away.  In 1997 Sgt. Barrett. started traveling the country, training and certifying canine teams and giving seminars on cadaver work. Her K-9 partners were “Dan”  & “Adam”. In January, Barrett was given a bravery award named for Mark Charbonnier, who was killed in the line of duty in 1994 and received standing ovation for over 3 minutes from over 400 state troopers.  Sergeant Barrett received a final accolade a week before her death for her 26 years of service as a Massachusetts State trooper and in the K-9 unit for 21 of those. She received the Colonel's Award of Excellence, which has been granted to only seven previous troopers.  Her K-9 partner, Adam, was with her to the end and was not able to adapt to another person since they were side by side for 9 years and was euthanized, cremated, and buried with Trooper Barrett. Kathy's other K9 partner Dan was also buried with her per her wishes. A total of 115 K-9 teams attended the funeral. Barrett is survived by a son, Sean. The family is requesting donations to be made to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 699 Prince Street, Alexandria, VA 22313 in memory of Sgt. Kathleen M. Barrett, Massachusetts State Police K-9 Unit. On October 22, 2009 a canine training field was named in her honor behind the Middleboro barracks.

         

     

   

Sergeant Adam Leigh Cann, 23, of Davie Florida, died trying to protect his comrades and civilians at a police recruitment center in Ramadi, Iraq at approximately 7:40 a.m. on January 5, 2006. Sergeant Cann, part of the military police, sensed trouble when his police canine Bruno became agitated at the possible scent of explosives nearby. According to fellow Marines, Cann did not wait to take action to save people around him. He stood between the man that would become a suicide bomber with about 18 pounds of explosives in a vest with grenades and ball bearings contained within it. Eighty were killed and five marines including Sgt. Cann were killed in the attack of approximately 1,100 men that were attending the last day at the police recruitment center of a four-day screening drive volunteering to help revive the violent city’s defunct police department. Sgt. Cann joined the Marine Corps on Nov. 27, 2000. He was a member of the military police assigned to Security Battalion, Marine Corps Base in Camp Pendleton, Calif. Sergeant Cann was on his second Iraqi tour in his second enlistment with the military. He already had served one tour in Afghanistan and another in Iraq and was scheduled to end his tour in March. While in Iraq, his unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force.  His personal awards include the Navy Unit Commendation, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon and Navy and Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon. Sgt. Cann also was in charge of five other K-9 units spread between five bases. Also two other dog handlers were injured along with three working dogs in the suicide attack at Ramadi police recruiting event. All three dogs were treated for their injuries in Baghdad by military veterinarians at the 10th Combat Support Hospital. One of the military dogs, "Bruno" was partnered with Sgt. Cann for approximately 6 years, was wounded in the blast by shrapnel and returned back into service for several months and then retired. All three injured dogs were treated by the 72nd followng [medical evacuation] and will recover fully.  Sgt. Cann was awarded the Bronze Star and posthumously awarded the Purple Heart at his burial at Arlington National Cemetery on January 18th 2006.  At the Marine Corps K9 Kennel in Fallujah, plans are in the works to name the compound after Sgt. Cann. Cann is the first K-9 handler killed in action since the Vietnam War. On March 28, 2008, in his memory at the Marine Corps Logistics Base, Barstow, the base's kennel was named the Adam L. Cann K-9 Facility after Cann. Cann is survived by his father, Leigh Cann, mother Betsy Beebee, and two brothers Justin, 25, and Leigh Cann Jr. age 20. 

    

Canine Officer Mario Jenkins, 29, was killed outside the Citrus Bowl on 9/24/05 at approximately 5:04 p.m. as fans were arriving for a football game that was starting at 6:00 p.m. between the University of Central Florida and Marshall University. Officer Jenkins, a four-year veteran with the University of Central Florida Police Department, was working with the state to curb underage drinking.  Jenkins, who was working undercover wearing street clothes, began work on "Operation Knight Watch" about 2 p.m. and was assisting six other officers and seven agents with the state Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco. The incident started when officer Jenkins tried to break up a drinking party and some turned belligerent. When he encountered resistance he fired shots into the air. A uniformed reserve Orlando Police officer, Dennis R. Smith, 55, who had retired after 25 years on the force in December of 2001, was patrolling on a bicycle and heard the shots that attracted his attention and immediately responded to the scene. Officer Smith not knowing Officer Jenkins was a police officer, fired three shots at him, mortally wounding him in the back. Officer Jenkins, before he collapsed, returned two shots at Officer Smith narrowly missing him. Michael John Young, 23, was also shot in the fracas and was taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center and was listed in fair condition with a gunshot wound to the stomach. A physician at Orlando Regional Medical Center who was near by and attended to Officer Jenkins said he died almost immediately. Officer Jenkins graduated from Tarpon Spring schools and attended Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and graduated from the college’s Institute of Public Safety in 2000. Officer Jenkins was a K9 officer for six months and his K9’S name was “Makye”.  Jenkins had previously worked for the Clermont Police Department in 2001 and had served in the U.S. Marine Corps. Reserves from1994-2000. Jenkins was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal at the University of Central Florida Police Department on October 1, 2005. His wife Valerie Vaughn Jenkins who he married in 2001 survives him.  On October 23, 2007, Valerie Vaughn Jenkins filed a lawsuit against the City of Orlando, Orlando Police Department and Dennis R. Smith. UCF and Sun Trust Bank have established the Mario Jenkins Memorial Trust Fund to benefit his family. Donations can be made at any SunTrust Bank in Central Florida.

Officer Dennis Smith of the Orlando Police Department was cleared December 15, 2005, of any wrongdoing for fatally shooting Officer Jenkins. Michael John Young was charged December 15, 2005 with battery on a law enforcement officer, a third-degree felony, and obstructing or opposing a police officer, a first-degree misdemeanor.

     

Officer Quinn Witherspoon, 34, died 9/13/05 at 904 South Magnolia Street in his Mooresville home. He was found lying on the couch in the living room with a single gunshot wound to the head with his own 40 caliber Beretta service weapon. His wife Misty placed the 911 call at approximately 2:10 p.m. At the time of the shooting two of his children, 3 and 18 months were sleeping in a bedroom and his 7-year-old daughter was at school. His wife told police she was in the bathroom when the gun fell from a shelf and was taking the gun to her husband when she slipped and the gun accidentally went off and the bullet hit Witherspoon in the head. Officer Witherspoon was an eleven-year veteran of the Concord Police Department in North Carolina since 1994. A native of Mooresville, Witherspoon graduated with an associate degree in criminal justice from Mitchell Community College. He also received his Basic Law Enforcement Training from Mitchell Community College. Witherspoon also received a Bachelor of Science degree from Gardner Webb University.  Witherspoon was a K9 officer for eight years and the North Carolina State Representative for the International Police Work Dog Association.  Quinn Witherspoon's Concord police K9, "Tank", attended the burial and watched his partner carried to his final resting place while a police honor guard gave a 21-gun salute. Approximately 400 people attended the funeral.  His wife Misty who he was married to for 11 years and his three children, Katherine, Sydney & Seth, survive Officer Witherspoon. The City of Concord Police Department has established a fund for Officer Quinn Witherspoon three children. To donate to this fund, make a check payable to the Witherspoon Children Trust Fund. The donations can be mailed to The Witherspoon Children Trust c/o City of Concord Finance Department, P.O. Box 308, Concord, N.C. 28026-0308.

Misty Keller Witherspoon, 32, was arrested and charged October 5, 2005 with first-degree murder after the September shooting death of her husband. A $500,000 bond was posted for Misty Keller Witherspoon on March10, 2006 and was released from Iredell County Jail. The bond is conditional upon Misty Witherspoon having no unsupervised contact with her children and having no contact with any of the state's witnesses who aren't directly related to her. Prosecutors have said they will not ask for the death penalty. On November 29, 2006, Kelly Witherspoon was indicted on charges stemming from alleged financial crimes. The 58 counts brought in Iredell Superior Court against Misty Keller Witherspoon include allegations of embezzlement, identity theft and obtaining property by false pretenses. According to an assistant district attorney in Iredell County, Witherspoon stole at least $100,000 from her church, Whitman Park Baptist, including taking $25,000 from the church's collection plates. Martin said that Witherspoon also defrauded her sister, Karen Keller. The Judge set a new $30,000 secured bond for the financial crimes charges and Misty Witherspoon posted bond and was released. Additional motions in the case will be heard on Jan. 22, 2007. At an administrative hearing in Iredell County Superior Court, it was agreed that Misty Keller Witherspoon's trial for the financial crimes will begin the week of May 21, 2007. Her first-degree murder trial will begin the week of June 25, 2007. On April 30, 2007, Misty Keller Witherspoon pleaded guilty to 37 counts of embezzlement and three counts of identity theft. Iredell Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin said between 2003 and 2005 Misty Keller Witherspoon embezzled $27,720 from her church, Whitman Park Baptist in Mooresville, and fraudulently obtained credit cards in her sister's name. Witherspoon had become the church's assistant treasurer after her husband, Quinn Witherspoon, who was the treasurer, became busy with his law enforcement duties.

On July 16, 2007, after only a few hours of deliberations, a jury of 8 women and 4 men found Misty Witherspoon guilty of first degree murder in the shooting death of her husband just before noon. Superior Court Judge Kim Taylor sentenced Misty Witherspoon with life in prison without parole. The judge also sentenced her on several other charges she pleaded guilty to earlier in the year. Misty was also sentenced to three months for 40 counts of I.D. theft and 15 months for embezzlement. Misty will serve those sentences concurrently with her murder charge.

Officer Roy Lundell Nelson Jr.

   

Officer Roy L. Nelson Jr., 36, and his police K9, Ceasar, were killed on 8/13/05 approximately 11:40 p.m. when responding to a scene of a reported burglary and swerved his vehicle to avoid another vehicle and crashed just east of the South Causeway on State Road A1A. Both Nelson and his K9 Ceasar were pronounced dead at the scene. A witness reported seeing a white pickup pull onto the road from Richmond Drive, on Bouchelle Island. The witness told Florida Highway Patrol that the truck pulled in front of Nelson and he swerved to avoid it, causing him to crash into a guardrail and overturn. The truck left the scene. At the time, Officer Nelson did not have his lights or siren on at the time of the crash and was traveling in excess of 70- mph in a 50-mph zone while not wearing his seat belt. Police are looking for a white, full size pickup, possibly a 1990’s Ford F-150. The driver of the truck came forward two weeks later and the State Attorney's office declined to charge him. Nelson was nearly a seven year veteran of the New Smyrna Beach police. Officer Nelson’s K9 Ceasar was a 3 ½ year-old Belgian Malinois who had trained with Officer Nelson more than 400 hours in two years and was Officer Nelson’s first police dog which lived with his family. Nelson served as a patrol officer and was a certified bicycle officer as well as a member of the department's special response team during his career. Nelson received numerous accolades and commendations from both citizens and supervisors during his 11 year career also. Officer Nelson was chosen as a member of the presidential detail when President George W. Bush visited the city in 2002 and also arrested  Michael Thomas Seibart, one of "America's Most Wanted".   Officer Nelson is the departments first death in the line of duty. Officer Nelson leaves behind his wife Angie and his two daughters, Samantha Steinmetz 13 and Sabrina Nelson 2. Donations can be made to Roy Nelson Canine Memorial Fund, c/o Friends Bank, 2222 State Road 44, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168 or Friends Bank, 1504 S. Ridgewood Ave., Edgewater, FL 32132. The city of New Smyrna Beach has set up a memorial fund for Nelson's family at Wachovia Bank. Donations can be made at any Wachovia branch under the name "Officer Roy Nelson Memorial Fund."

 

Officer Kelly Lee Hammond

July 22, 2005 - Louisville, Kentucky - Age 39

 

Louisville Metro Police K9 Officer Kelly Hammond, 39, died on 6/22/05 at a friends farm in the 17000 block of Taylorsville Road in eastern Jefferson County while helping a friend cut grass. He was standing between the front and rear wheels of the tractor, giving instructions to a juvenile in the drivers seat on how to operate it when the driver of a tractor lost his footing on the clutch.  The tractor lurched forward and pinned him under a large rear wheel killing him at the scene. Officer Hammond was not on duty at the time. Officer Hammond was a 12 year veteran of the department and uniformed officer with the Secret Service. He is survived by his wife, Anita, and two sons, Nick & Chase. Hammond received a military-style funeral, including taps, a 21-gun salute, a single bagpiper and a flag ceremony. Officer Hammond had also worked with his K9 partner "Axa" who retired. Hammond’s recent K9 partner, Barry, will be reassigned.

 

Officer Matthew Haverkamp

July 15, 2005 - Golf Manor, Ohio - Age 29

Golf Manor K-9 Officer Matthew Haverkamp, 29, was killed in a motor vehicle accident July 15, 2005 at 2:35 a.m.   Officer Haverkamp was off duty driving his black 2001 Range Rover Discovery on I-75 south when he swerved out of his lane and collided with a white 2005 Lincoln Navigator between Galbraith and Paddock exits. Haverkamp’s SUV slammed into the guardrail and flipped over an embankment.  Haverkamp was ejected from the SUV and found more than 100 feet away in a shallow drainage ditch and was pronounced dead at the scene. Hamilton County Coroner Dr. O'dell Owens said that Haverkamp died from a broken neck. The driver of the Lincoln Navigator had a fractured knee and injured back.  Witnesses to the accident estimated Officer Haverkamp’s speed at least 80 mph. Investigators say Haverkamp was at fault in the wreck by failing to control his vehicle and was not wearing his seatbelt. Hamilton County Coroner, Dr. O’dell Owens, revealed that Haverkamp was under the influence of alcohol at the time and his blood alcohol content was .19 at the time of the crash.  In Ohio, the legal driving limit is .08.  Officer Haverkamp had been on the Golf Manor force eight years and had started the department’s K9 program and bike patrol. Haverkamp graduated with a degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati. His canine’s was a Belgian Malinois named Tibo and was not with him at the time of the accident because Tibo was staying at a veterinarian's office recuperating after breaking a leg while off duty about two weeks before the accident. The parents of Officer Matt Haverkamp, Bruce and Nancy Haverkamp, have established the Matt Haverkamp Foundation to raise money for police dogs to memorialize  K-9 Officer Matt Haverkamp.

Detective Marty James Mitchetti    

June 27 2005 - New Windsor, New York - Age 32

                                                                                                                                                                      

Detective Marty James Mitchetti, Jr., 32,  died in an off-duty construction accident on June 7, 2005 and passed away approximately 11:00 p.m.  While working at that side job Mitchetti suffered a fatal injury when a heavy-duty hose or other piece of equipment apparently struck him in the head. He worked as a certified welder at West Point until 1995 when he joined the Orange County Sheriff's Office. He worked at the Sheriff's office as a Police Officer until 1998 when he joined the New Windsor Police Department on January 27, 1998. He served as Patrol Officer and was assigned as a K-9 Officer on February 23, 2001. In February 1999, Detective Mitchetti received the Excellent Police Duty Award for the apprehension of three suspects involved in a robbery and unlawful imprisonment of a local resident. In November 2002 he received the Meritorious Police Duty Award for disarming a suspect with a knife. In 2004 and 2005 he received the Honorable Mention Award. He was a Third Degree Blackbelt.

 

Trooper Jonathan Wade Parker    

May 16, 2005 - Sumter County, South Carolina - Age 29

 

 

Trooper Jonathan Parker, 29, was killed on 5/16/05 at approximately noon. An armed robbery suspect who was running from police had robbed the Circle-C store at a truck stop on I-95 in Colleton County around 10:00 a.m. earlier in the morning and was being pursued by Clarendon County Deputies and Manning Police Officers at high speed. Trooper Parker and a colleague had just left their office in separate vehicles in response to bulletins radioed ahead by officers pursuing Ridel so they could be ahead of the pursuit. Trooper Parker stopped his patrol car on the shoulder of the Highway, with his blue lights and wearing his seatbelt, to wait for the pursuit to reach his location and was only there a few minutes when the suspect rammed his older model red Ford Thunderbird into the rear of Parker’s cruiser near the intersection of Highway S.C. 527 and Highway 378 which ended an approximate 22 mile chase of speeds up to 100 mpr. After the crash an officer checked on Ridel who wasn’t moving so he went to check on Trooper Parker. While checking on Trooper Parker the officer saw Ridel crawl out of the sunroof and start running. The officer fired 6 warning shots in the air and Ridel stopped and raised his hands. Before they could get to him, Ridel began running again and 2 more warning shots were fired into the air and Ridel stopped again. By that time, two Clarendon County deputies also involved in the chase caught up to him and handcuffed Ridel. The suspect, Eric Shawn Ridel, slammed into the back of Parker’s vehicle with such impact forcing Parker’s vehicle into trees and then catch on fire resulting in death from the impact. Eric Shawn Ridel, 34, of Hartford, Connecticut, was listed in critical condition with punctured lungs and broken vertebrae at Palmetto Health Richland Hospital.  Ridel was on parole from a Connecticut prison, where he had served a four-year sentence for a 1999 burglary conviction. Ridel was convicted twice in 1999 and twice in 1998 for burglary. In 1994, Ridel was convicted of various charges including criminal impersonation and a misdemeanor drug offense. Those convictions led to a 90-day jail sentence and a six-month suspended sentence. Those offenses were committed in the Connecticut cities of Madison, Manchester, Hartford and East Hartford. Eric Shawn Ridel has been charged with murder in connection of Trooper Parker's death. Trooper Parker has served with the South Carolina Highway Patrol for 5 years and worked with a German Shepherd narcotic K9 assigned to Troop One, Post A which includes Sumter and Clarendon County. Trooper Parker had previously served with Sumter County Sheriff’s Office for 2 years. He is survived by his wife Sue.

Eric Ridel was serving a 30 year sentence in connection with the armed robbery in Waterboro. Eric Ridel's trial for the murder of Trooper Parker lasted three days with two hours of deliberations when a jury of seven women and five men found Eric Shawn Ridel guilty of killing Trooper Jonathan Parker and was sentenced on 6/6/07 by Judge George C. James Jr. to life in prison without parole.

 

Officer Jesse Erick Sollmon    

March 25, 2005 - Easton, Pennsylvania - Age 36

 

  

 

K9 Officer Jesse E. Sollman, 36, was accidentally shot in the back and killed on March 25, 2005, by one of his fellow officers, Matthew Renninger, after conducting a training exercise at the Easton Police Department headquarters in Pennsylvania on South Third Street near the end of his shift. The incident occurred after Sollman and others returned to the station from SWAT team training. Officer Sollman was not wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot approximately 3:30 p.m. in the back with a H & K 40 caliber semiautomatic weapon. Officer Renninger said that he was cleaning his gun and was bumped and the gun discharged.The bullet entered Sollman's back in the left area above his kidneys. The bullet grazed his back of his left rib, went through his spleen, liver and diaphragm and penetrated the aorta which is the main blood vessel in the body. The bullet continued in an upward direction fracturing the front of the fifth rib and lodging in soft tissue right above the fifth rib. Officer Sollman had powder burns at the entrance wound and was said to be shot within a distance of three inches. The deminsions of the room where Officer Sollman was shot was a small 7’ x 10’ room. At the time of the shooting the three officers in the room were Jesse Sollman, Matthew Renninger and Robert Weber. He was taken by ambulance to Cottingham Stadium about eight blocks away where he was flown by helicopter to St. Luke's Hospital in Fountain Hill where he succumbed to his wounds at 4:24 p.m. Renninger was driven to Muhlenberg Hospital for an evaluation and was admitted and spent five days there. Officer Sollman was a Corporal in the US Marine Corps and veteran. Prior to working for the Easton Police Department he worked for Middlesex County College Police in New Jersey and the Federal Bureau of Prisons in New York. He had served with the Easton Police Department for 8 years and was with the K9 Unit, Tactical Team, firearms instructor and defensive tactical instructor. Officer Sollman’s K9 was named Finn. He is survived by his wife Carin who he was married to for eight years, his six year old daughter, Savannah Rose Sollman, and his 2 year old son, Jacob Eric Sollman. Donations for the Sollman family can be made in care of the Fraternal Order of Police, Washington Lodge # 17 and mailed to the Easton Police Department 25 South 3rd St. Easton Pa 18042 attn: Off Ray Mead.

On March 16, 2006, findings of a grand jury investigation, a scathing 24 page report, were completed into the shooting death of Easton Police Officer Jesse Sollman.  The grand jury found that Officer Matthew Renninger, the officer who shot Sollman on March 25, 2005, conducted himself in a negligent manner and directly caused the death of Officer Sollman. The grand jury found that while Renninger's actions were negligent, they did not rise to the level of criminal negligence or recklessness.  They also found that the evidence and the surrounding circumstances of the shooting of Officer Sollman by Renninger demonstrate that the shooting was unintentional and without malice. The report also listed 10 specific recommendations to improve operations at the Easton Police Department, including the termination of Officer Renninger who has been on paid administrative leave since the shooting. Officer Matthew Renninger, an eight-year veteran of the Easton Police Department, retired May 9, 2006 and claimed the shooting left him psychologically unable to ever again work as a police officer. A year later the city's police pension commission awarded him a $10,765 annual pension.

The widow of Officer Jesse Sollmon, Carin,  filed a $20 million lawsuit. On November 9, 2009, after more than a two year legal battle, she won a settlement of 5 million dollars in an agreement behind closed doors the day the trial was to start in Philadelphia . The town of Easton has until Jan. 31, 2010 to come up with $3 million, and the entire $5 million must be paid out by Dec. 31, 2010, according to the terms of a settlement. The settlement allowed the city to avoid a potentially publicly damaging trial which could have ended in a much more costly jury verdict.
 

 

Officer Lisa Kern    

July 11, 2004 - Minneapolis, Minnesota - Age 35 

 

K-9 Officer Lisa Kern, 35, of the Minneapolis, MN Police Department died on July 11, 2004. Officer Kern was a 14 year veteran who died of a brain aneurysm while on duty and taking a break at one of the police precincts.  At the time Officer Kern was working an overnight shift when at some point she took a break at the police departments 5th precinct, 3101 Nicollet Ave. South.   Its not clear precisely when she stopped for a break and at the time was with her K-9 “Jag” in the vehicle.  At approximately 1:00 a.m. a  911 dispatcher requested her assistance on a crime investigation and when the dispatcher received no response a request was sent out for other officers to find her.  An officer found her squad car at the 5th precinct with the motor running and K-9 “Jag” still in the vehicle.  A search of the precinct led officers to the woman's rest room where she was found unconscious.  Shortly before 3:00 a.m. the officers in her police department were notified she died. Officer Kern became a K-9 Officer in 1997 and shortly in the fall of that year her first dog “Jake” were called in for a burglary in downtown Minneapolis.   K-9 “Jake” was unleashed to search for the suspect and fell 4 stories from a building roof top.  K-9 “Jake” suffered a broken spine and had to be euthanized.  Her police department awarded her and K-9 “Jake” a Medal of Honor in 1998.  During approximately 7 years in the K-9 Unit Officer Kern was honored 15 times by the United States Police Canine Association.  She leaves behind a 1 year old son named Paul. A memorial account has been established to benefit her son Paul. Donations may be sent to Wells Fargo Private Banking, 430 North Wabasha, Suite 301, MAC N9117-030, St. Paul, MN 55101.

Deputy Michael Allen Van Kuren

March 31, 2004 - Bradford, Pennsylvania - Age 36 

 

Deputy Michael Van Kuren, 36, of Warren Center was shot and killed along with Deputy Christopher M. Burgert, 30, of Sayre, on  March 31, 2004 in Wells Township, Bradford County, in Northeastern Pennsylvania with a .357 Magnum. Both were trying to serve a bench warrant on Dustin F. Briggs, 27, for failure to appear in court at approximately 11:00 a.m. At the time both Deputies were wearing vests and Deputy Van Kuren’s K-9 "Montana", a rottweiler, was not with him. When both Deputies failed to check in, Pennsylvania State Police were sent in and discovered both Deputies shot and killed in the junk yard drive way of Briggs home on Congdon Road. One of the Deputies guns was missing from the scene. The suspect, Dustin F. Briggs, accused of killing both Deputies was arrested after a 36-hour man hunt at approximately 6:30 p.m. the following day after a tip from someone who reported seeing him.   Pennsylvania State Police Criminal Investigator Vince Schreffler of the Laporte Barracks in Sullivan County  had spotted movement 60 yards off the road south of Thunder Creek Road and it turned out to be Briggs. Briggs previously committed criminal possession of a weapon, a felony, in late 1997 when he tried to pull a loaded pistol on two New York state troopers after a traffic stop, but was wrestled to the ground and served more than two years in a New York State prison in Watertown, N.Y. from 1998-2000.  Six months earlier he tried to run over a police officer in Troy N.Y. He was recently charged with selling methamphetamine in Bradford County.  Deputy Van Kuren had served with the Bradford County Sheriff's Department for 10 years, and is survived by his wife Elane, his son Andrew Todd and his daughter Tiffany. Many witnessed the bond at the funeral of Bradford County Deputy Sheriff Michael Van Kuren when his canine, Montana, was led to the coffin. The dog let out a bawl when he recognized his master in the coffin, and then jumped up on the coffin to lick his partners face as if was his way to say good bye.  Elizabeth. Deputy Van Kuren's K9 "Montana" went to live with his wife Elane and about seven months later,  died "of a broken heart," from being away from Deputy Van Kuren and was laid to rest with Deputy Van Kuren. The family requests contributions made in VanKuren's name to the VanKuren Children's Scholarship Fund, c/o Citizens & Northern Bank, 428 Main St., Towanda, PA 18848, or the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, P.O. Box 8249, Missoula, MT 59807.

An eight-woman, four-man jury deliberated more than 10 hours and found Dustin F. Briggs guilty of 2 counts of first degree murder for the shooting of two Bradford County sheriff deputies,  Michael  A. VanKuren, 36,  and Christopher M. Burgert , 30, and one for robbery on February 7, 2006. The  jury deliberated only a little more than two hours before rejecting a life-without-parole prison term on February 9, 2006, and sentenced Dustin Briggs to death during the penalty phase.  On March 15, 2006, Dustin F. Briggs was formally sentenced to death by Judge Barry Feudale.

R.C.M.P Cpl. James Wilbert Gregson Galloway

February 28, 2004  - Edmonton, Canada - Age 53

   

Corporal James Wilbert Gregson Galloway, 53, was shot in the back and killed February 28, 2004 after gunfire erupted at the scene of a standoff at a home in Spruce Grove. Officers were originally called to Greystone Drive cul-de-sac around 11:00 a.m. to investigate a report of a bullet hole in a vehicle of a neighbor. The bullet had entered the driver's side window and exited through a rear fender. Investigating officers were told a resident that there was an agitated man holed up in a nearby residence and he was armed. The RCMP emergency response team was called in to seal off the area.   At around 5:30 p.m. the suspect, Martin Charles Ostopovich, 41, attempted to leave the area in his Toyota pickup truck and Corporal Galloway rammed his suburban police truck into Ostopovich's truck at approximately 45 mph on the drivers side to prevent him from getting away. After ramming the vehicle, Corporal Galloway, who was wearing a standard issue soft-bodied vest but not bullet-proof protective vest, exited his vehicle to take cover behind his vehicle when gunfire erupted and he was shot once in the back by Ostopovich. The bullet went through his chest, ribs, lungs, diaphragm and liver and Corporal Galloway died within one minute. Other RCMP returned gunfire striking Ostopovich with 12 bullets from an MP5 sub-machine gun and M16 in his arms, chest, neck, head and left leg and died within 10 minutes. They were taken to hospital by ambulance where Corporal Galloway and the suspect were pronounced dead.  The man accused of killing Galloway had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but refused treatment and also could not afford the medication.  In 2002 Corporal James Galloway, an RCMP dog handler, received a Certificate of Achievement on September 14th in Halifax at SARSCENE, the annual search and rescue workshop sponsored by the National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS). Corporal Galloway, who grew up in Quebec was living in Sherwood Park, Alberta, joined the RCMP in 1969 and its police dog section in 1975. Among his many personal initiatives to aid the search and rescue (SAR) community are his work in helping Alberta search dog teams form a province wide association, called the RCMP Civilian Search and Rescue Service Dog Association, and the time he takes teaching and implementing standards for SAR dog teams.  More than 4,600 hundred people attended his service along with over 100 dogs. Corporal Galloway’s dog Cito attended the service in the church.  Later the dog faithfully trailed his former partner's coffin as it was driven away in a hearse.  Corporal Galloway had 35 years of service with the RCMP, 29 of those years as a K-9 handler. Corporal Galloway is survived by his wife Margaret and three children, Jason 32, Karen 31 and Cory 28. Donations may be made to RCMP Civilian Search Dog Association of Alberta, c/o of Sherwood Park Detachment or The Veternarian Teaching Hospital Expansion at Western College of Veternarian Medicine Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

On July 19, 2008, a dedication ceremony attended by his wife and family members at the University of Saskatchewan's Western College of Veterinary Medicine, Galloway's canine legacy will be passed on to future generations of animal care-givers. A patient examination room in the WCVM's new two-storey addition was officially named in memory of Galloway at a ceremony. The veterinary teaching hospital's room 1522 includes a framed photograph and memorial of Galloway, with his last canine partner Cito.

Deputy Sheriff Brian Robert Litz 

 February 7, 2004 - Marion County, Florida - Age 36

   

Deputy Litz, 36, was shot and killed February 7, 2004 at approximately 1300 hours while making a routine well-being check on an elderly man, Ivan K. Gotham, 74, who lived alone in a retirement community at 9030 S.W. 104th Place in Pine Run, Ocala, Florida.  The man's youngest son, Gary Gotham called from his Virginia home to report that he hadn't been able to reach his father for two days and called the Sheriff's Office asking the department to check on his father. He advised that his father had a gun also. When Deputy Litz approached the house to check on Gotham, he observed Gothan in the house but he would not respond to him. Deputy Litz moved to the front of the residence to look through a window, in an attempt to get a better observation of Gotham. Deputy Litz walked up to the man's front window. As Deputy Litz approached, the suspect opened fire, killing Deputy Litz instantly. Deputy Litz was struck just above his bulletproof vest.  Gotham kept other deputies at bay until two SWAT officers arrived and recovered Deputy Litz's body. Gotham was killed when he grabbed a shotgun a Deputy was holding on him from a kitchen window.  Litz was pronounced dead at Munroe Regional Medial Center.  Litz’s K-9 partner, Justice, accompanied his master's body into the church, occasionally howling softly as the bagpipes played. Justice remained in the church throughout the service.  Two years ago, Litz, along with  K-9 Justice, had received their National K-9 Bomb Certification which certified them as experts in detecting explosives.  Deputy Litz had served with the Marion County Sheriff's Office in Florida for 7 years and was a member of the K9 unit. More than 3,000 attended Deputy Litz's funeral procession. He is survived by his wife Cherie and 5-year-old son Brian. K-9 Justice was retired and lives with Deputy Litz's wife and son. Within days,  Brian’s wife Cherie received a letter on Yankee letterhead. Upon hearing of Brian’s death, New York Yankees owner, Mr. Steinbrenner, took action to ensure Brian’s child would receive a college education. George Steinbrenner founded the Gold Shield Foundation in 1981 to aid the families of Florida firemen and police who lost their lives in the line of duty. The foundation paid $5,000 toward Brian’s funeral and promised a full college tuition college for his son Brian when he is ready to go to college. http://www.goldshieldfoundation.com/index.htm A monument was erected at Marion County Sheriff's Office at the South West District Office "Deputy Brian Litz Building", S.R. 200 Ocala, Florida in honor of Deputy Brian Litz. The statue was unveiled and dedicated on January 13th 2006 and is located within a mile of the shooting incident.  The monument was primarly paid for by private donations. The Artist : Professional sculpture and native Floridian is W. Stanley "Sandy" Proctor.

Sgt. Shaun Hutt

 January 20, 2004 - Durban, South Africa - Age 32

 

 

Sgt. Shaun Hutt died on 1/20/04 while in the line of duty as he tried to investigate the killing of two KwaMashu police officers. The tragedy unfolded when Hutt went to the hostel area at KwaMashu's A Section to investigate the December killing of two police officers. He was in an unmarked vehicle - a white Golf - with an informer, while his brother, Inspector Warren Hutt was travelling behind in a dog unit vehicle. But then, as they turned into the darkened road, three men suddenly opened up on them. Eight shots were fired at them, with four high-caliber rounds going through the Golf door. Two struck Hutt, one of them hitting him in an artery. Despite what would prove to be fatal injuries, Hutt continued returning fire at his attackers. The gunmen then fled and Hutt's brother rushed him to Umhlanga Hospital where he was immediately taken into surgery. Hutt had been shot in the abdomen. Hutt, who had gone into surgery to have two bullets removed, died on the operating table. Hutt was due to be married in a couple weeks to his fiancée, Julie MacNamara. His K9 partner was PJ.

Officer Mario Umjamo Nelson

 January 3, 2004 - Rialto,California - Age 31

 

 

Officer Mario Nelson, 31, was shot and killed in Rialto, California on 1/3/04 when he came home from working the graveyard shift and parked his cruiser in his garage. His neighbor John Van Uffelen, 67, was reading the newspaper  when he heard yelling and screaming at Nelson's house. He then heard eight shots, followed by a short pause, followed by two more shots. The sheriff's department got a call at 7:14 a.m. about gunfire at the house. When deputies arrived they found the garage door open and a Fontana police car in the garage.  His ex girlfriend, Antoinette Smith, 19, waited for him to exit the cruiser and shot him multiple times and then killed herself with one shot.  A neighbor, John Van Uffelen, 67, saw a sheriff deputy a month before breaking up a fight at 5:30 a.m. and when he spoke  Mario Nelson the next day he told his neighbor that if he ever saw her again to call the sheriff’s department because she was bugging him and interfering with his business.  Nelson had broken up with Smith in September and she had been on medication and was depressed she was not with him around the holidays. Smith was a teacher's aide in special education at Eisenhower High School in Rialto. Recently had been accepted into Cal State San Bernardino and planned to complete her teaching degree there. She and Nelson were once engaged, and at one point, she had gone shopping for a wedding gown. Officer Nelson was hired by the Fontana Police Department in 1999 and became a canine officer in June. Nelson was previously a security officer with the Rialto Unified School District as well as a Marine Corps reservist. Nelson had moved into the house less than two years and Smith lived with him for a short time.

Pc Thomas Andrew Jackson

 December 13, 2003 - South Yorkshire, UK - Age 46

 

While on duty following a League football match, he was working with another dog handler, engaged in dispersing large crowds of rival football fans in Barnsley Town Centre, when he collapsed and died of a heart attack. Tommy had 27 years service with South Yorkshire Police and was attached to the Operational Support Services department as a dog handler working from Ecclesfield Police Station. He was survived by his wife, a serving police officer, and two sons aged 10 and 8 years.

Pc Gerald Michael Walker

 January 9, 2003 - Nottingham, UK - Age 42

Pc Ged Walker, 42, tried to arrest the driver of a stolen taxi on January 7, 2003. The incident unfolded when David Andrew Parfitt, 25, a former drug addicted to heroin and cocaine and  habitual criminal since the age of 14 from Nottingham, forced his way into a woman's house in Bulwell, Nottingham, to call a taxi. When the taxi arrived, Parfitt,  ran to the vehicle and forced the driver into the passenger seat. Pc Walker had been called to the scene and observed Parfitt beginning to speed away. Pc Walker sprinted to the driver's door and tried to grab the keys from the car's ignition. As Pc Walker and his German shepherd Kai were pulled along St Albans Road in Bulwell. Observers heard him screamed at Parfitt: "Stop it or you will kill me." Parfitt accelerated to 30mph, dragging the officer and his dog 100 yards as he swerved to try to throw them off. Eventually Pc Walker was flung into a concrete bollard, suffering severe head injuries. Pc walker died at Queen’s Medical Centre hospital  two days later on January 9, 2003 at  6:45 p.m. and his K9 partner “Kai” survived. The taxi driver eventually halted the car and Parfitt fled. Parfitt was arrested a day later when officers found him hiding in a loft. Pc Walker  joined the police cadets in 1976 and joining the regular force 2 years later and serving in Hucknall. In 1987 he became a canine officer and often served in Mansfield Town when high profile matches were played at Field Mill. Approximately eight hundred people attended Pc Walkers funeral on January 24, 2003 at St. Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham. The new Bulwell police station on Coventry Road is named after Pc Walker and was officially opened by his widow on May 7 2004. He is survived by his wife Tracy, his daughter Rebecca, 13, and his son Matt age 12.  Canine Kai was given to the Walker family.

David Andrew Parfitt, a dropout from school, had trouble with the law since the age of 14 years old. In 1991 at the age of 14 he did bodily harm against a fellow school pupil, two counts of criminal damage, threatening behavior, possessing an offensive weapon and shoplifting. He was ordered to pay $44.47 and do 24 hours of community service. Fourteen months later in 1992 at the age of 15 he was back in youth court for aggravated vehicle taking, a series of driving offenses ( reckless driving, no insurance, and driving without a license) burglary and theft of a cycle. He was sent to youth offenders institution for four months. At the age of fifteen he was known to drink as many as fifteen Budweisers a night and was also using marijuana, LSD, amphetamines and benzodiazepines and sedative drugs as valium. In 1993 at the age of 16 he was back in youth court for theft of a cycle and ordered to pay $741.22. At the age of 16-17 in January of 1994 he was convicted again for burglary and theft of a home and failing to surrender to bail and to attend 22 hours at a center. In September of 1994 he was convicted a second time for actual body harm when unprovoked, punched his victim in the face several times causing injuries requiring five stitches and again for aggravated vehicle taking with driving offences of driving while disqualified and no insurance. He was ordered to do 40 hours of community service and pay $ 222.36 compensation. In November of 1994 another series of driving offences ( two counts of driving while disqualified, two counts of driving without insurance and a minor road traffic offence and the court sent him again to a young offenders institution for five months and disqualifying him from driving for two years. In November of 1995 at the age of 18 he was back in court, but this time as an adult. He attempted to steal a vehicle, obstructing the police, handling, driving while disqualified, using a vehicle without insurance and failing to surrender to custody. He was placed on probation for eighteen months. The first seven months of his order was acceptable but there after failed and breach proceeding were instituted in October of 1996. In January of 1997 the court was informed he was complying with his order. However his conditional discharge of one year was substituted by the magistrates for the fourteen month probation order. Two months later in March of 1997 he was back in court for failing to surrender to custody and breach of peace. He was fined $111.00 and bound over for twelve months. Four months later in July of 1997 he was back in court for criminal damage, threatening behavior and breach of his binding over order. He was ordered to pay compensation and ordered to sixty hours community service and probation supervision for twelve months. In March of 1999 he was back in court for twelve offences, eleven of them committed while on bail for breach of the combination order imposed in July of 1997 and failing to appear in court proceedings relating to that breach, for two offences of obtaining property by deception, ( ordered products from mail order catalog using a false name ) driving with excess alcohol, two counts of driving while disqualified, taking a motor vehicle without consent of his place of employment, failing to stop after an accident, two counts of driving without insurance, criminal damage, resisting a Pc and breach of his combination order and sent to prison for five months. In June of 1999 just after being released from prison, he was again sentenced to five months in prison for driving while disqualified and with no insurance. In May of 2000, he was convicted of affray, three counts of assault, and assault with the intent of resisting arrest. He once again drove while drunk, again crashed into a stationary vehicle, again fled the scene, was arrested and taken to a hospital where he escaped custody and initiated a violent confrontation with people at the hospital. One month later he was back in court for driving while disqualified, no insurance and failing to provide a specimen. Again he was sent to prison for four months. On September 21, 2000, on being sentenced, he sought to escape but was chased and apprehended. Having been jailed for two years on May 16, 2002 for robbing two women in the street, ages 70 and 51, who had just picked up their state pensions. One of the women were knocked to the ground and injured.  He convinced the authorities that he had kicked his four-year heroin and cocaine addiction and was released four months later on September 11, 2002, under curfew, subject to drug testing. He was meant to have been tested twice a week for the first 13 weeks. Failure to attend on two occasions, or failing three consecutive tests or two non-consecutive tests within a six-week period constituted a breach of probation. In the following two months Parfitt, who has more than fifty criminal convictions, missed seven appointments, and of nineteen drugs tests he took, he failed ten. Once, he even called to say that he could not make an appointment because he was too ill as a result of "heavy use of heroin". A report highlighted a catalogue of mistakes by Probation Service which led to Parfitt being on the run on the day of PC Walker's death. Parfitt's prison release probation should have been revoked earlier after he failed ten out of nineteen drug tests and Parfitt had earlier admitted taking the taxi without the owner's consent, driving while disqualified, theft and burglary. Parfitt failed a drug test on September 20 for cocaine, October 14 he failed for cocaine, October 22 he failed for opiates, October 24 he failed for cocaine, October 29 he failed for opiates, October 31 he failed for opiates, November 7, he failed for cocaine, November 12 he failed for cocaine, November 14 he failed for cocaine and on November 21 he failed for cocaine, all this while on probation.

    On December 11, 2004 a jury found David Andrew Parfitt guilty  in Birmingham Crown Court of manslaughter in the death of Pc Ged Walker on a majority 10 to two verdict but cleared him of murder. He was jailed for 12 years and given a consecutive one-year sentence for other offences. Parfitt had been on probation from a previous sentence for robberies from elderly women at the time of PC Walker's death.  Parfitt is up for parole in October of 2009 after serving half his sentence. The trial judge had recommended that Parfitt serve at least two-thirds of his term but this is not legally binding. Prisoners are automatically released after serving two-thirds of their sentence but become eligible for parole after half of it is completed in their country. Pc Walkers grieving widow, Tracy, is fighting to keep her husband’s killer in jail.

Sgt. Daniel Dale Green  

November 13, 2002 - Tallahassee, Florida - Age 47

 

Sgt. Green, 47, was a K-9 officer shot and killed on Nov. 13, 2002 while responding to a report of a home invasion robbery just before 8:00 p.m. A report came in that an armed man had bulled his way into a home on Melody Circle and was trying to rob the two women inside. Officers sped to the neighborhood but couldn't locate the street. Green was the first to find it. When he approached the scene he observed a suspicious car and called in the description of it before being ambushed and shot 6 times with a 357, including once in the head. With other officers arriving, the shooter jumped in his car and fled. He led police and Leon County sheriff's deputies on a chase that ended when he crashed into a ditch on Sharer Road. Deputy Brian Pearson fired at him and the man surrendered.  At the time Sgt. Green was wearing his vest. He was pronounced dead about one hour later at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital at 9:21 p.m. Sgt. Green had been with the Tallahassee Police Department for 13 years and his K-9 partner was Lux.  Sgt. Green was an expert sniper also. Coy J. Evans, 33, is facing a first degree murder charge for the slaying of Sgt. Green along with two counts of armed robbery, armed burglary, kidnapping and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.  He had just been released June 30, 2002 after serving a five and a half years of a seven year prison sentence for burglary and robbery with a firearm. Sgt Green is survived by his wife Debra and three children Kristen, Will and Ryan, ages 20,15 &13. On the fifth anniversary of his death the city's Water Utility donated 20 acres to the Tallahassee Police Department and a K-9 training facility was named after him. The 2,000 square foot building includes an office, showers and a screened-in porch for washing the department’s canines. Outside, there are gated areas for different types of police-dog training.

Evans' rap sheet dates back to when he was 18, starting with a burglary charge. Over the years, he racked up arrests for trespassing, driving without a license, resisting an officer and marijuana possession - among other charges. The charges grew more serious, and he eventually went to prison. Court and police records detail his crimes. On Dec. 18, 1994, Evans accosted a man in the 400 block of North Macomb Street and they wound up in a fight, police reports show. As the victim tried to get back in his car, Evans reached in and struck the man on his forehead with the butt of a handgun, causing a cut that needed 11 stitches. On Nov. 13, 1995 - exactly seven years before Green was shot - Evans held up two women with a handgun inside a Joe Louis Street apartment, taking money and a jacket. No one was hurt.  On May 18, 1996, while he was out on bail for the 1995 charge, Evans and another armed man robbed a Memphis Street home with three adults and three small children inside, forcing them into a bedroom. The robbers took several pieces of jewelry, including a gold chain with a Mickey Mouse charm. Two months later, one of the victims saw Evans and his then-girlfriend in a local grocery store and recognized Evans from the robbery, according to reports. The girlfriend was wearing a chain with a Mickey Mouse charm. On Dec. 5, 1996, court records show, Evans offered no-contest pleas in all those cases before Circuit Judge J. Hall Jr., now retired. The no-contest pleas mean Evans did not admit guilt but chose not to defend the charges in court; the judge found him guilty anyway. Evans, charged with aggravated battery in the fight, pleaded to misdemeanor assault and was sentenced to time served - 60 days in the county jail. Facing a maximum life sentence for the robberies if convicted at trial, Evans instead agreed to serve seven years in prison, according to the plea form. Hall gave him 215 days credit for time served. Evans entered state prison Jan. 9, 1997, and he was released June 30, having served about 5½ years.

Number of jurors for each verdict: 9-3 for life. On September 8, 2004, Coy J. Evans was convicted of 1st degree murder, burglary, armed kidnapping, armed robbery and fleeing and eluding law enforcement in the shooting death of Tallahassee police Sgt. Dale Green. On September 10, 2004 Coy J. Evans was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole after only 1.5 hours of deliberation.

Officer Bill Faus Jr.

August 26, 2002 - Elkhart, Indiana - Age 37

 

Bill Faus Jr., 37, died August 26, 2002 at 7:40 a.m.  at home, five months after he was diagnosed with cancer. Less than a year before his death, Bill Jr. had become a master trainer for the North American Police Work Dog Association, joining his father to become the only father-son master trainers in the United States. Bill Jr. joined the Elkhart Police Department in 1987 and in his earlier years as a boy he was in the cadet program. He later followed his father's lead into the department's K-9 Unit  and a division he was  in charge of at the time of his death. Officer Faus's K9 partner was "King".  His father, Capt. Bill Faus Sr.  is one of the founding fathers of the North American Police Work Dog Association who has served that organization as a State Coordinator for the State of Indiana, a Trustee and elected to the position of National Treasurer. His Father was also selected as the state treasurer for the Indiana Police Work Dog Association and serves as Master Trainer and is a Certified K-9 Instructor through the Indiana Law Enforcement Training Board and runs his business "Faus K-9 Specialties, Inc.".  Bill Faus Jr. leaves behind his wife, Lorene , three sons,  Zachary J., Nicholas A., Blake J., all of Elkhart; two stepsons, Matthew M. Rose, Brent R. Rose.

Sgt. Scott Arner  

January 4, 2002 - Jasper County, Missouri - Age 43

  

Sgt. Scott Arner, 43, a resident of Neosho, died on January 4, 2002 at about 6:00 p.m. during an investigative dive that was mostly ice covered and 30 – 40 feet deep. Arner and others were searching the ice covered water for a body during an investigation into a possible homicide when the veteran deputy failed to come to the surface and drowned. He was pulled from the water by divers and taken to a Joplin hospital, but efforts to revive him failed. Arner was declared dead at 7:14 p.m. at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin where he was taken by medical helicopter after the accident.  Arner’s police dog, Magnum, sat on the floor near the family during the service.  As Arner’s coffin was carried to the hearse in front of the church, more than 30 police dogs and their handlers from departments across Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma had lined the sidewalk on each side of the entrance.  Sergeant Arner was also a  Police Dog Trainer for the Missouri Police Canine Association and the North American Police Work Dog Association.  Sergeant Arner had been with the Jasper County Sheriff's  Department in Missouri for 13 years. Sgt Arner's trusted K-9 partner "Dunja", was a dual purpose Belgian Malinois and she was laid to rest with Scott.

Officer Ron Jones

December 26, 2001 - Prentiss, Mississippi - AGE 29

Officer Jones, 29, was shot and killed December 26, 2001, while attempting to serve a drug warrant with Pearl River Basin Narcotics Task Force on Mary Street approximately 2340 hours with seven other officers. The reason for the raid was because Officer Jones was informed by a confidential informant that there was a large quantity of marijuana spotted in the apartment. Officer Jones entered the rear door of a residence and was shot as he made entrance to a bedroom that the suspect was in. Cory Maye fired at Officer Jones three times with a stolen Larson .380 caliber handgun. The shot struck him in the abdomen below his vest. He succumbed to his wounds while being transported to a local hospital in a patrol car. The suspect, Corey Maye, 21, lived at the apartment for less than two months with his girlfriend.  Maye contends that he was asleep in his living room which was dark when the raid occurred while his infant daughter, Tacorriana, was asleep in the bedroom. Her mother—Chenteal Longino, Maye’s girlfriend—had left for her job on the night shift at the Marshall Durbin chicken plant in Hattiesburg, more than an hour away. Maye was uncomfortable in his new home, and had expressed concerns to his mother about the seedy neighborhood surrounding it but he promised to stick it out until after the holidays. As the raid commenced, one member of the Task Force broke down the outside back door and Officer Jones who did not have his gun drawn, charged in.  Maye contends he shot officer Maye fearing for his life and the safety of his daughter and did not know they were police officers until after firing his gun and then he heard them announce that they were police entering his apartment. He then placed his gun on the floor and was apprehended at the scene without incident. An autopsy of Officer Jones showed the bullet passed through his abdominal wall perforating the small intestines in four locations and went through the aorta.  Officer Jones had been with the Prentiss Police Department in Mississippi for five years. His father was chief of police at the time of the shooting. 

Cory entered an innocent plea at the trial and had no previous arrest record. A jury of 8 women and 4 men found Cory Maye guilty of capital murder on January 23, 2004, after 5 hours of deliberation and sentenced to death by lethal injection and is currently on death row in Mississippi.  A hearing on whether Maye, now 25, deserves a new trial was set for June 20, 2006 and then postponed until September 21, 2006. On September 21, 2006, Maye's death sentence was overturned by Judge Michael Eubanks. There are three possible actions that the current presiding judge could take. He could refer the case directly to resentencing; or he could override the jury's verdict and declare Maye not guilty or he could schedule the case for retrial. On December 29, 2006, Judge Michael Eubanks denied Cory Maye's motion for a new trial but will get a new sentencing trial. At the new sentencing trial he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

PC Roger Debattista

November 12, 2001 -Ta' Farzina Qormi, Malta - Age 34

 

PC Roger Debattista , 34, who was a canine officer working overtime, was shot and killed on November 12, 2001 during a bank hold-up at 10:45 a.m. while he closing the front doors of the bank he was guarding in Ta` Farzina, Qormi when he saw three armed robbers rushed towards him and he realized the bank was going to be robbed. Two of the robbers had their heads covered in women`s tights. One wore a balaclava, and the other had a carnival mask. Debattista was shot twice through the glass doors at point blank range at the Bank of Valletta branch. with the second being the fatal shot. Debattista was hit on the lower left-hand side of the body and the shot penetrated his lungs. PC Debattista was rushed to St Luke`s Hospital where he was operated upon immediately but he died soon afterwards. After shooting the policeman, the robbers rushed inside the bank. As one robber held up the four customers and seven employees inside the bank, the other two men grabbed as much cash as they could and then ran off in a waiting getaway car which was a red Lada Samara. The car had been stolen from Cospicua last month. Before they left the bank one of the robbers took away the policeman`s weapon. They also took a security bag containing what is known as "bait money" and drove off, tires screeching, to Summer Street two blocks away. The "bait money" releases indelible ink on the bank notes inside it, making the notes useless. The red Lada Samara was found abandoned with its doors open two blocks away from the bank. Both front seats of the car were folded forward. Tire marks were found in front of the car, indicating that the robbers had another getaway car parked there. A black carnival mask was found close to a low wall where the getaway vehicle was parked. A five-shot Luigi Franchi repeater shotgun, which had its registration number erased and which had the butt wrapped in tape, was also found on the ground. It was thrown over the low wall. Stained money with the red indelible ink was left in the car. The notes were scattered on the floorboard, on the front seats and on the dashboard. The police said the notes were stained when the robbers forced open the security bag, presumably to share the money.  The robbers were eventually found to be Andy Calleja, 23, Mario Borg, 35, Ian Galdes, 22, and Mark Falzon, 26. A monument to police constable Roger Debattista was unveiled in Qormi, close to where the bank used to be located. The monument, featuring a bust of Mr Debattista, was set up on the initiative of Qormi council, the bank and the police. PC Debattista has already had a street on November 16, 2007 and a wing of police HQ named after him. He has previously served in Mobile Squad and the Corradino Correctional Facility. PC Debattista as an exemplary policeman who joined the corps on April 12, 1986 and served for almost 16 years. Debattista was given a hero’s funeral in which thousands of people attended. Many senior officers and members of the AFM`s bomb disposal unit, who had often worked alongside PC Debattista attended to honor him who worked in the dog section for twelve years and whose dog was trained to sniff for explosives. The hearse was escorted to Addolorata Cemetery by police motorcyclists and policemen in ceremonial uniform carried the coffin, draped in the police flag, to the police grave where a guard of honor stood to attention as a detachment fired three rounds in a final salute before the body was laid to rest. PC Roger Debattista, who posthumously received the Midalja Ghall-Qlubija. He was married to Simone and had three daughters, Kelsey, 8, Shanice, 6, and 15-month-old Jezmine. 

The robbers were charged with robbing a bank, holding several people against their will, causing damage to the bank, stealing John Paul Cesare`s car on October 30, stealing registration plates of a car belonging to Giovanni Borg, handling stolen property, carrying a firearm and ammunition at the time of the commission of a crime, keeping a firearm and ammunition without a license, and firing a gun within 200 meters of a residential area. Admitting to their numerous charges at the start of their trial, Mr. Borg and Mr. Galdes were jailed for seven years and Mr. Borg for five. Mr. Justice Joe Galea Debono delivered the sentences.  Mr. Calleja, who was identified as the murderer, was handed a life sentence. Calleja admitted killing the police officer during the hold-up. Despite this admission, presiding Mr Justice Joseph Galea Debono said that he was not to be shown clemency. Calleja registered his admission almost three-and-a-half years after the crime was committed. The judge said “he delayed his plea until the final moment,” and therefore this could not be considered as an early guilty plea. Mr Justice Galea Debono ruled that Calleja could not benefit from a reduced jail term and sentenced him to life imprisonment. On 10 June 2004, an appeals court confirmed the life sentence for Calleja. The court, presided by Chief Justice Vincent De Gaetano and composed of Mr Justice Joseph Filletti and Mr Justice David Scicluna, said the court had to send out a clear message to society that such crimes cannot be condoned. They were dealing with the cold-blooded murder of a police constable, on duty during a hold-up, who did his best to protect the bank’s staff and clients, the court said in its 17-page judgement. During the trial an uproar occurred in the court room as Constable Debattista's relatives hurled abuse at the four men which had to be controlled by many police.

Deputy Kody Hellyer Snodgrass

October 17, 2001 - Lake County, Florida – Age 24

 

Deputy Kody Snodgrass, age 24, was a Deputy for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and handled police bloodhounds for the department when he was killed in a motorcycle accident, while off duty, on October 17, 2001. The parents of Kody Snodgrass, Duke and Angie Snodgrass, are the founders of the Kody Snodgrass Memorial Foundation Inc. that is dedicated to providing law enforcement with bloodhounds trained for police work free of charge. Angie Snodgrass is the chairman for the foundation. The foundation breeds, raises and trains registered bloodhounds for donation to the law enforcement community.  The foundation, also known as 832 K-9’S Deputy Dogs is dedicated to the memory of Deputy Kody H. Snodgrass. Deputy Snodgrass badge number was 832 and was incorporated into the foundation name. The original funding for the foundation came from Kody Snodgrass’ life insurance policy and continues today through donations, both public and private. Deputy Sheriff Snodgrass was a 3 1/2 year veteran of the Sheriff's Office and was assigned to the Sheriff's Tactical Unit as a Bloodhound K9 handler.

 

Trooper Lloyd  Aragon

August 1, 2001 - New Mexico State Police - Age 37

 

Trooper Aragon, 37, was struck by a suspect's vehicle and killed on August 1, 2001 while laying stop sticks at approximately 0730 hours attempting to apprehend a suspect driving a stolen vehicle during a pursuit on I-40 near Grants, New Mexico. The incident started when two brothers went to the Grants Wal-Mart Super center about 7 a.m. and allegedly took some 40 boxes of Actifed, worth more than $300, in an apparent shoplifting heist. An alert store employee followed the brothers to the parking lot and wrote down the license plate number of the Toyota pickup truck they got into it and drove out of the parking lot. The two turned right on Santa Fe Avenue and were heading west on the street when Grants Police got a call from Wal-Mart about the reported shoplifting and a description of the truck and license plate. The dispatcher ran the plates and it came back stolen, adding that the truck was taken in Albuquerque, but he did not know when it was stolen. An all-points alert went out on the police radio, at which time Grants Police Sgt. Mike Trujillo spotted the truck and tried to stop it. The driver of the truck, Zachariah Craig, made a U-turn in the 1000 block of Santa Fe Avenue. One of the occupants, Aron Craig, jumped out of the truck and ran toward  railroad tracks. Police took him into custody a short time later and brought Aron Craig to the Grants Police Station. The chase was on when Zachariah Craig sped off to the 85 Mile Marker on-ramp to Interstate 40 with Trujillo in pursuit where speeds reached well over 100 mph. Aragon and his partner State Police Officer William Cunningham, were in plain clothes and en route to a federal court to testify in a drug case when they heard the radio traffic about the pursuit and decided to lend a hand. Aragon and Cunningham were far in front of the chase when they stopped their patrol car in the center median and laid down stop sticks to puncture the tires of the Toyota pick up. As the speeding truck neared Mile Marker 126 the driver swerved off the road into the center median to avoid the strips and slammed head-on into Aragon, killing him instantly. After hitting Aragon, Zachariah Craig drove through the center median, crossed the two westbound lanes of interstate traffic, and ran up a highway on-ramp from the State Highway 6 overpass where lost control of the truck. He got out of the truck and ran, but two state police officers and a Grants Police officer, Mike Trujillo got out of their units, ran him down and arrested him. Trooper Aragon had been with the New Mexico State Police for eight years and had been in law enforcement for an additional five years. He was a member of the New Mexico State Police Canine Team. Approximately twenty seven hundred people attended his funeral. White doves were released at his funeral and he received a 21 gun salute and a bagpiper played Amazing Grace. A police helicopter also made a fly-by overhead.  He is survived by his wife Monica, his son Lloyd Jr. 11, and his daughter Adrianna age 4 was turning 5 in a few days. His K-9 "Barry" was retired and lives with his mother Veroniza "Bernice" Aragon.  On December 12, 2006 a roadside memorial service was held to honor Aragon and a marble marker was placed in the exact spot he was struck and killed. The marble stone featured Aragon's silhouette on the left and K-9 Barry's on the right. The ceremony was attended by his family and many K-9 officers.

 

Originally Zachariah DeWitt Craig was charged with 1st degree murder which carries the death penalty in New Mexico.  Craig eventually pleaded guilty but mentally ill to second-degree murder thereby avoiding a possible death sentence. In early of 2006, Zachariah DeWitt Craig, 23, pleaded guilty to murdering Aragon. On September 1, 2006, Judge Louis McDonald sentenced Craig to 20 years plus five years of supervised probation and is serving time in the state Department of Corrections mental health unit. 

 

Deputy William Robert Hunter

July 26, 2001  - Butte Copunty, California - Age 26

 

Deputy William R. Hunter, 26, and Lieutenant Leonard B. Estes, 61, were ambushed and fatally wounded on, July 26, 2001, as they entered a cabin in the Inskip area of Paradise ridge in California and were met with a barrage of gunfire. Hunter died instantly. Estes returned fire and fatally wounded the suspect, Richard Gerald Bracklow, 46, before succumbing to his wounds.  Hunter took the original report of an assault and theft of weapons at the Magalia substation and asked for cover. Estes, en route to an internal affairs interview, was nearby and told dispatch he would back up Hunter. He reportedly pulled to the side and put on his bulletproof vest.  Hunter interviewed Bob Duffey, 89, regarding a heated argument he had with Bracklow,  over rent money owed to Duffey. When Estes arrived the officers proceeded to Bracklow's residence. Estes and Hunter had radioed dispatchers shortly after 6 p.m. that they would "attempt to make contact with the subject." It was their last transmission. They entered the dimly-lit cabin but barely made it past the threshold. Bracklow shot Hunter, who was in the lead, three times in the head. Hunter was unable to get off a shot. Estes emptied six rounds from his personal .45-caliber handgun, striking Bracklow three times in the chest area and grazing the suspect's shoulder with a fourth shot. Lieutenant Estes' weapon was found with the seventh round remaining and had been jammed when it was struck by one of the suspect's rounds. Estes was struck four times in the arm, chest and head as Bracklow emptied his 9mm, Glock semi-automatic handgun. Deputy Hunter and Lt. Estes and Bracklow were only two to three feet apart during the gun-battle fatal exchange. When dispatch was unable to reach either officer, additional units were sent by the California Highway Patrol. When they arrived 45 minutes later, they located both cruisers parked in front of the small cabin. The sheriff's department's SWAT team was then called out. After firing tear gas, entry was made into the home where the bodies of Deputy Hunter, Lieutenant Estes, and the suspect were located. Over five thousand people attended the funerals for both officers and more than 100 police dogs also attended.  Outside, the two deputies received the tribute of a 21-gun salute as the Honor Guard put the coffins into hearses Taps were played A squadron of five helicopters, two from BCSO, and one each from CDF, California Highway Patrol and Enloe Medical Center, flew over the church. One of the BCSO helicopters veered out of formation in honor of officers lost in battle. Deputy Hunter had been with the Butte County Sheriff’s office for three years and Lt. Estes had been in Law Enforcement for 30 years. Deputy Hunter just became a canine officer a few weeks before his death. Deputy Hunter and his wife, Holly, were to have celebrated their first wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks. He is survived by his wife Holly and his German shepherd partner named "Ilo". K-9 Ilo attended the funeral service. The Sheriff's Office has allowed Hunter's wife to keep the dog as her pet. Memorial donations in the name of Bill Hunter may be made by check payable to the Deputy Hunter Memorial Fund and mailed to the Newton Bracewell Funeral Home, 680 Camellia Way, Chico, CA 95926. Donations to the Hunter fund will be used to provide scholarships to men and women embarking on a career in law enforcement at Butte College.

Corporal James Brian Moulson

January 3, 2001 - Jerome County, Idaho - Age 30

 

Corporal Moulson, 30,  and Corporal Phillip Anderson, 23, were both canine officers shot and killed on January 3, 2001 while they were serving a narcotics search warrant at the home on a suspected drug dealer at 8:30 p.m. Both deputies, who were wearing bulletproof vests at the time. The officers took positions outside Williams' home, preparing to serve the warrant. Corporal Moulson knocked on the door and announced the service of the warrant. When no response came, Corporal Moulson rammed the door. Corporal Anderson entered first and was met with gunfire from the suspect inside who shot Corporal Anderson in the head at the time of entry with a .44 caliber handgun. Corporal Anderson immediately shot the suspect, George Timothy Williams, 47, but Williams also fired killing Corporal Anderson. Corporal Moulson engaged Williams at close quarters, shooting him several times. Williams also continued to fire and shot and killed Corporal Moulson. When Williams emerged from the house he was confronted with Sheriff Weaver and undersheriff Nunnally. Undersheriff Nunnally stepped between Williams and Sheriff Weaver and fired at Williams, causing him to dive for cover and the suspect was killed during the gun battle. It was later determined that it was Corporal Anderson who had fired the fatal round. About 50 K-9 Officers and their dogs attended a graveside service, which included a 21 gun salute and taps, punctuated by barking.  Moulson and Anderson’s K-9’S, Chug and Cruiser, sat quietly at the memorial service, beside the flag draped caskets of their masters.  Both officers were members of the Idaho Police Canine Association. About 50 K-9 Officers and their dogs attended a graveside service, which included a 21 gun salute and taps, punctuated by barking.  Moulson and Anderson’s K-9’S, Chug and Cruiser, sat quietly at the memorial service, beside the flag draped coffins of their masters.  Both officers were members of the Idaho Police Canine Association.  Corporal Moulson had been with the Jerome County Sheriff's Department in Idaho for four years.  More than 3000 attended their funeral. He is survived by his wife Amy, and his nine-month-old son Derek. On May 18, 2007, Idaho Governor Otter awarded the Medal of Honor to Corporal James Brian Moulson.

Corporal Phillip Charles Anderson

January 3, 2001 - Jerome County, Idaho - Age 23

 

Corporal Phillip Anderson, 23, and Corporal Moulson, 30, were both canine officers shot and killed on January 3, 2001 while they were serving a narcotics search warrant at the home on a suspected drug dealer at 8:30 p.m. Both deputy canine officers, who were wearing bulletproof vests at the time. The officers took positions outside Williams' home, preparing to serve the warrant. Corporal Moulson knocked on the door and announced the service of the warrant. When no response came, Corporal Moulson rammed the door. Corporal Anderson entered first and was met with gunfire from the suspect inside who shot Corporal Anderson in the head at the time of entry with a .44 caliber handgun. Corporal Anderson immediately shot the suspect, George Timothy Williams, 47, but Williams also fired killing Corporal Anderson. Corporal Moulson engaged Williams at close quarters, shooting him several times. Williams also continued to fire and shot and killed Corporal Moulson. When Williams emerged from the house he was confronted with Sheriff Weaver and undersheriff Nunnally. Undersheriff Nunnally stepped between Williams and Sheriff Weaver and fired at Williams, causing him to dive for cover and the suspect was killed during the gun battle. It was later determined that it was Corporal Anderson who had fired the fatal round. About 50 K-9 Officers and their dogs attended a graveside service, which included a 21 gun salute and taps, punctuated by barking.  Moulson and Anderson’s K-9’S, Chug and Cruiser, sat quietly at the memorial service, beside the flag draped caskets of their masters.  Both officers were members of the Idaho Police Canine Association.  Corporal Anderson had been with the Jerome County Sheriff's Department in Idaho for two years. More than 3000 attended their funeral. Corporal Phillip Anderson was unmarried at the time of his death. On May 18, 2007, Idaho Governor Otter awarded the Medal of Honor to Corporal Phillip Charles Anderson.

Officer John A. Ayello

September 8, 2000 - Hamburg, Pennsylvania - Age 53

 

Officer Ayello, 53, died September 8, 2000 at approximately 2100 hours when he suffered a heart attack while making an arrest in taking a violent subject into custody. Officer Ayello and another officer had responded to a domestic disturbance call involving a suspect with warrants. As the suspect was being handcuffed, Officer Ayello suffered the heart attack. He was flown to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officer Ayello had been in law enforcement for 21 years and had founded several an anti drug youth group in the area called Hooked on Fishing, Not Drugs. He served with the Hamburg Police Department in PA.  The K-9 Officer John Ayello Memorial Award was established by the Pennsylvania Police K-9 Association to honor the memory of Officer Ayello who founded this Organization. The purpose of this Award is to offer financial assistance to high school seniors who will be pursuing a career in a field related to law enforcement. Officer Ayello was a master trainer, handler and breeder of Police K-9's. John trained many police K-9's for departments along the east coast and conducted seminars for police dogs in Canada. John handled K9 Moonraker, a bloodhound, which was Hamburg’s first police dog. John also handled K9 Ginger, a rottweiler in 1980 with the Hamburg Police Department and later K9 Roscoe and K9 Romeo who were also rottweilers. John also worked K9 security with K9 Kane, a Doberman. K9 Romeo was John’s working police K9 at the time of his death and attended church services for John. He is survived by his wife, Beryl, and three grown children, Michele 30, John II 29, and Ralph 23. Memorial Contributions may be sent to: American Heart Association, 40 Berkshire Court, Wyomissing, PA 19610 or American Diabetes Association, 2045 West Gate Drive, suite 302, Bethlehem, PA 18017.

Officer Justin Thomas Cain  

July 23, 2000 - LaGrange, Georgia - Age 25

Patrolman Cain, 25, succumbed to injuries sustained five months earlier when his patrol car struck a concrete pylon and a tree. He died on July 23, 2000. He was on a lunch break at the time when his vehicle accelerated, for unknown reasons, through a shopping center parking lot and struck the pylon.  Patrolman Cain had been with the Lagrange Police Department in GA. for two years.  He  was a Military MP for five years. He leaves behind his K9 partner "Charo".

Senior Constable Norman James Watt 

July 21, 2000 - Queensland, Australia - Age 33

 

Senior Constable Norman James Watt, 33, was shot and killed on July 20, 2000 during a call regarding a serious domestic dispute that was taking place on a property at Alton Downs 15kms north-west of Rockhampton at 9:22 pm. An ex-serviceman named Royce William Cooper (58yrs) had fired three (3) shots at a friend during an argument at the property. Senior Constable Norm Watt the dog squad officer on duty was one of a number of police directed to attend the scene. Officers arrived at the property and immediately placed a cordon around the residence. In the darkness Cooper had exited his house and camouflaged himself amongst bushes in the yard. At a little after midnight Senior Constable Watt and his K9 Zeus along with another officer went to view the house from another vantage point. As Senior Constable Watt moved toward the house a shot was heard and Senior Constable Watt fell to the ground. He was fatally shot at point-blank range with a .303 rifle which pierced an artery in his groin and died soon later. He was left to die alone for three hours before police could reach Constable Watt after having commandeered a heavily armored vehicle from Rockhampton jail was summoned to recover his body. Fellow officers were unable to safely approach their fallen colleague to render assistance as they were unaware of Cooper’s exact location. The officer was officially pronounced dead on 7/21/20 3.47am. A post mortem examination revealed that the bullet had severed Senior Constable Watt’s femoral artery causing death within minutes of being hit. After a seven hour siege Cooper surrendered to police shortly after 5:00 am. as police from the Special Emergency Response Team arrived from Brisbane. Officers attending the siege had all been wearing bulletproof vests and had followed procedure, Cooper was later charged and convicted of murder in the Rockhampton Supreme Court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Zeus was not injured and retired immediately after the shooting and was cared for by Senior Constable Watt's wife, Anna Watt until he died of kidney failure 18-months later.

 

On May 22, 2003,  after a week of evidence the Supreme Court heard Cooper had been drinking and was on medication.  The court was told before Cooper fired shots, he had become upset and recalled he had been given a white feather as a sign of cowardice while a peacekeeper years before. The twelve member jury took almost five hours to find Cooper guilty for the murder of Senior Constable Norman Watt. Justice Peter Dutney sentenced Cooper to life in prison.

 

Corporal Ferris Edward Catoe

July 10, 2000 - Camden, South Carolina - Age 36

 

Corporal Catoe, 36, served the Camden Police Department for 8 years in South Carolina.  He was killed on July 10, 2000 after being involved in an automobile accident. Corporal Catoe’s cruiser, a 1994 Ford Taurus, broad sided a truck which had entered an intersection after running a stop sign. He was transported to a local hospital where he died approximately 30 minutes later.   Corporal Catoe's canine was also injured in the accident.  He is survived by his wife Sheri and his son Ryan.

 

Officer Jeff Lynn Azuar

April 12, 2000 - Vallejo, California - Age 50

 

  

Officer Azuar, 50, was shot and killed on April 12, 2000 after he and another officer attempted to serve an arrest warrant on Joseph Teitgen, 34, for failing to serve a 90-day jail sentence on a grand theft conviction and weapons violations. The incident occurred at 1430 hours at 2039 Tennessee Street. Azuar received the call to assist in Teitgen's arrest while he was filling in on an early shift. The officers found the suspect who was a carpet layer, hiding in a garage of the residence after Joseph Teitgen's wife let the officers into the home. At the time she was with her 3 year old daughter and her 2 sons were on the way home from school. The suspect began physically resisting arrest and Teitgen broke free of Officer Wilcox, tried to flee up a staircase and fired a .357 revolver three times. One of the shots struck Azuar, who was pursuing Teitgen up the stairs, in the head. A third officer who had arrived on scene, Sgt Larry Rogers, returned fire and seriously wounded the suspect in the chest. Officer Azuar was transported to Sutter - Solano Hospital where he was pronounced dead. His K-9 A.J. was waiting outside the home in his police cruiser when Officer Azuar was shot. He had been a canine handler since 1993. His first canine, Rondo, was stabbed to death in the line of duty in 1997.  Close to 100 K-9 officers from around the state sat with their K-9 partners at their feet on Corbus Field at the Vallejo High School where funeral services were held for Azuar on Tuesday, April 18. They were a vivid reminder of how much he loved being a dog handler. More than 4,000 local residents and law enforcement personnel filled the high school's track field to grieve and pay their last respects to the beloved police officer slain in the line of duty. Friends say Azuar was deeply connected to his community, recognized by children from his many visits to schools with his dogs, a friend to his neighbors and a true community police officer who befriended local business owners and who would return weeks after an initial call to check up on people he had helped. The ceremony ended with seven police helicopters flying overhead in Missing Man formation and nine doves being released. The doves followed the path of the lone helicopter. Capt. Tom Hauser played the bagpipes while the American flag was ceremoniously folded and Chief Nichelini handed it to Azuar's daughter. A badge with his badge number was then placed around Azuar's K-9 partner, A.J.'s, neck. After the service, hundreds of police cars, fire trucks and ambulances from around the state snaked through Vallejo toward the Skyview Memorial Cemetery where the interment took place. His first police dog, Rondo, an 8-year-old German shepherd who had been his partner for 4 ½ years, was stabbed to death in July 1997 by a suspect in a hit-and-run accident. The dog died in Azuar's arms. Azuar participated in the K-9 Police Olympics placing third in his division. He and his  K-9s were known throughout the City of Vallejo and known for their visits to the schools and organizations throughout Solano County.  Officer Azuar had been with the Vallejo Police Department  in California for 21 years and is survived by his 25 year old daughter, Amanda. The Vallejo Police Officers' Association has set up a scholarship fund for Azuar's 6-month-old granddaughter, Ashlee Geller. Donations may be made to the Ashlee Geller Scholarship Fund care of the Vallejo Police Officers' Association, P.O. Box 4218, 301 Wallace Street, Vallejo, CA 94591.

Teitgen had a lengthy criminal history. At one time  Teitgen had served as a drug informant in Napa in an attempt to win leniency at sentencing in a check fraud case. Teitgen's criminal history began in 1986 when he was arrested for spouse abuse and carrying a concealed weapon in public.  In 1991, Teitgen was arrested in Solano County for carrying a concealed weapon, grand theft and auto theft. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. In 1993, he was convicted of grand theft, and served 30 days in jail, with three years' probation. Later, four bench warrants were issued against him for failing to comply with terms of his probation. In  July, 1999 he was arrested for grand theft in Fairfield, CA. Teitgen's first murder trial in 2003, which carried a possible death penalty, ended in a hung jury after nine days of deliberations.  In the first trial they convicted Teitgen of the attempted murder charge of Officer Douglas Wilcox who had wrestled with the defendant, but deadlocked on the first degree murder charge.   The second trial convicted Teitgen on March 9, 2004. The jury consisted of 6 men and 6 women and deliberated less than 10 hours. Teitgen was found guilty of first degree  murder of an on-duty police officer and  attempted murder for trying to kill Sgt. Larry Rogers  who shot Teitgen in the chest during the struggle after Officer Azure was shot. Jurors also found that Teitgen was armed and did use a firearm in the commission of the crime and that the killing occurred as a result of Teitgen trying to evade arrest.  Teitgen was sentenced May 7, 2004 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.