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Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and other law enforcement officers from Ohio paid tribute Thursday to eight Ohio officers who died in the line of duty over the past several years.
Yost was speaker during the 35th annual Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony held at the Ohio Peace Officers training academy.
"Each of them defended our society and its values against those who seek to steal, kill and destroy," Yost said. "And everything we have today is here because they safeguarded these things with their lives.
The attorney promised the loved ones of the fallen "heroes" they will not be forgotten.
Yost also said the promise is "carved in stone" in reference to the Ohio Fallen Officers Memorial Wall, a sacred area on the grounds of the academy, that bears the names of all 829 Ohio officers who have sacrificed their lives in public service.
"The promise that we make to fallen officers -- to keep their memories alive -- is not only for them," Yost said. "We do it for the officers and deputies who stand and serve now. We do this so that all of them know how much we value them, and their mission, and their courage."
NAMES ADDED TO THE WALL
The names of 15 "heroes" were added to the wall this year, including eight who died in 2022, 2021 or 2020. The other seven are historical honorees, including six Dayton police officers who died during the Spanish flu pandemic in 1918-1921.
The eight officers lost in recent years were:
• Deputy Daniel J. Kin, 34, of the Wyandot County Sheriff's Office, who died in a fatal traffic crash Dec. 15, 2022 while transporting a prisoner to the county courthouse. Kin is survived by his wife of six years, Erin, and their two young boys.
• Deputy Matthew E. Yates, 41, of the Clark County Sheriff's Office, died of gunshot wounds July 24, 2022, during a shooting at a Springfield area mobile home park. A woman had been killed by her son, reports show and as deputies entered the mobile home they were met with gunfire that struck Yates, a member of the unit's special operations team. Yates is survived by his wife, Tracy, and their three children.
• Officer Dominic M. Francis, of Bluffton Police Department, died March 31, 2022 after being struck by a stolen car being pursued by Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers. Francis was hit as he was deploying tire-puncturing stop strips. His wife, Ricki, is the softball coach at Cory-Rawson High School, his alma mater. He also is survived by a son and a daughter.
• Agent John D. Stayrook, 60, of the Medina County Drug Task Force, died on Feb. 6, 2022, after contracting COVID-19 while assisting the Brunswick police a month earlier during a drug-related traffic stop. He is survived by his wife, Pamela; two children and two grandchildren.
• Patrolman Sean E. VanDenberg, 53, of the Lawrence Township Police Department, died on Dec. 25, 2021, after a weekslong battle with COVID-19, which he contracted after arresting a man and transporting him to jail. The suspect had complained of being sick and showed symptoms of COVID. He is survived by wife Jeanann, their four children and three grandchildren.
• Deputy Robert "Craig" Mills, Butler County Sheriff's Office, died on Sept. 12, 2021, after a long struggle with COVID-19. He is survived by wife Anne and two children.
• Officer Edward L. Stewart, 60, of the Akron Police Department, died on Feb. 12, 2021, after fighting COVID-19 for two months. Stewart is survived by wife Lisa, two sons and two grandsons.
• Officer Kenneth C. Jones, 55, of the Akron Police Department, died of a heart attack on Nov. 7, 2020, the day after he began feeling chest pains while responding to a domestic-assault call. He is survived by wife, Stacy, whom he had married just six weeks before his death, and three children.
The seven historical additions to the memorial wall are:
• Perry County Sheriff Deputy Herbert Minshull, who was shot and killed in 1945 while attempting to serve a warrant.
• Six Dayton police officers who died of the Spanish flu contracted while on duty between 1918 and 1920 were Troy E. Sine, Clement L. Francis, Emerson Glotfelter, Vinton E. Harsh, Edward M. Hennessey and Lawrence R. Graham.
Ceremonial units from many Ohio law enforcement agencies participated in Thursday's event, with a riderless horse formation provided by the Columbus Division of Police.