5/16/11 Police Memorial recognizes sacrifice

  • By Nick Sabo
  • May 16, 2011
  • 266
                        
SUMMARY: Four Ohio officers memorialized for giving the ultimate sacrifice Holmes County law enforcement gathered for a peace officer memorial service Sunday May 15 to honor a bond “invisible and unbreakable.” Memorialized were the four Ohio peace officers who died in the line of duty in the past year and those who have gone peacefully to their rest after serving the county. The only Holmes County peace officer to die in the line of duty, Sheriff Jacob Bell, was also remembered. Bell was fatally shot Dec. 9, 1909 near Lakeville by an escaped mental patient. The ceremony, coordinated by the Millersburg Police Auxiliary, marked the end of National Peace Officer Memorial Week. Speaker Susan Holley said the officers who gave their lives tugs at the heart of the familial bond of all officers who stand in the first line of defense in community safety. “We are here to honor all the officers, male and female, who gave their life in the line of duty. This is a solemn day, and a solemn week. We feel the loss of our brothers and sisters because we are one family,” Holley, a patrolwoman with the Millersburg Police Auxiliary, said. “We are a family in the fellowship to protect all of you.” Holley drew a parallel to the daily sacrifices police make with the events of Sept. 11, 2001. The 72 New York City police officers who lost their lives that day woke up to a morning much like any other, unaware of what lay ahead. “(9/11) will be a lasting hurt with everyday reminders for all of us,” Holley said. “Let us remember those who left us too early...those who we honor today didn’t make it, they didn’t make it home.” Officers memorialized Sunday were: Sgt. James A. Kerstetter, 43, of the Elyria Police Department; officer Thomas F. Patton, II, 30, of the Cleveland Heights police Department; Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper Andrew C. Baldridge, 25; Ross Township Police Chief Ellis Worley, 57. Kerstetter was fatally injured in a shoot-out March 15 while responding to a 911 call. Patton and Worley died from heart attacks while pursuing suspects, and Baldridge died from injuries suffered in an automobile crash while responding to another officer’s call for assistance. Holley noted that all it takes is a situation gone wrong to take a life. “It can take as little as putting two people together to cause a crime,” Holley said. “Someone who choses the wrong fork causes an officer’s death. Now they are at rest for their care and vigilance.” In a separate ceremony, Millersburg Auxiliary Patrolman Robert Hall was honored for 50 years of service. Millersburg Police Chief Thomas Vaughn noted that Hall’s service to the community included patrols at high school games, traffic control at the Antique Festival and filling in as a part-time patrolman for the Millersburg Police Department. “(Hall) has given countless hours of his time. He has given up weekends to work part time, to fill in so the full time officers can get in some vacation time,” Vaughn said. “All this has led to time away from his family.” The ceremony was attended by officers from the the Glenmont Police Department, Holmes County Sheriff’s office, Millersburg Police Auxiliary and Millersburg Police Department. KUTS: Representatives from the Holmes County Sheriff's office, Glenmont Police Department, Millersburg Police Auxiliary and Millersburg Police Department gathered Sunday May 15 for a Peace Officer Memorial. Millersburg Auxiliary Patrolman Robert Hall (center) was honored for 50 years of service to the Holmes County Community. He is pictured above with MPD Chief Thomas Vaughn (left) and Capt. Scott Akins.


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