Colorado missing sheriff’s deputy remains found

Missing Gypsum man found dead inside his pickup truck, Eagle County Sheriff’s Office says

7 News Denver
By: Ryan Osborne , Óscar Contreras
June 28, 2019

“The love and support this community has shown in the search for Tayler has been beyond words,” Porter said. “This support has been a comfort to his family, friends, co-workers, and the entire community.”

GARFIELD COUNTY, Colo. – A missing sheriff’s deputy who was last seen Tuesday in a rural area of Garfield County was found dead Friday, according to a spokesperson with the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.

Tayler Esslinger, 26, of Gypsum, who was last seen Tuesday and was believed to be heading into the mountains, was found in his vehicle Friday afternoon. A cause and manner of death was not immediately released.

“We are very heartbroken by today’s turn of events in this discovery,” said Eagle County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jessie Porter in a news release. “While it was not the outcome we had all been hoping and praying for, these last few days have shown how the circumstances of one individual can pull us together to make us all stronger.”
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Deputy and Police dog recovering after being shot after traffic stop

Video: Driver dead, Pinellas deputy and police dog wounded in shootings after traffic stop

Tampa Bay Times
By Daniel Figueroa IV
March 29, 2019

A man wounded a Pinellas County deputy and K9 officer after fleeing a traffic stop early Friday morning before turning the gun on himself, according to the St. Petersburg Police Department.

ST. PETERSBURG — A driver fleeing from a traffic stop early Friday shot a police dog rounding a corner then a deputy sitting in his car before taking his own life, police said.

The violent sequence of events began around 2 a.m. and centered on a four-block stretch of 3rd Avenue S, from 30th Street S east to 26th Street S.

Pinellas County Sheriff’s Sgt. David Stang Jr. was shot twice in the shoulder and was listed in stable condition Friday at Bayfront hospital. Stang, 51, has worked more than 17 years with the Sheriff’s Office.

“These are always the calls you dread,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri said in a news conference Friday. “The only thing that’d be worse is if he was in worse shape.”
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Pasco Sheriff's Deputy found dead

When it is your job to save people, that should include YOU! Everyone you work with would do it for you and you would do it for them. That should tell you that you should not be last on the list of lives to save! #BreakTheSilentService and #TakeBackYourLife

Pasco deputy, a wife and mother of three, died by suicide at home, sheriff says

Tampa Bay Times
By Langston Taylor
Published 6 hours ago
Updated 1 hour ago

There have been 37 law enforcement officers who have died by suicide so far in 2019, according to the nonprofit Blue H.E.L.P., which was started in 2015 to collect data and offer resources and help to officers and their families. It reported 160 deaths in 2018 and 159 in 2017.

Pasco sheriff’s Deputy April Rodriguez, a wife, a mother of three and a grandmother, died by suicide, said Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco at a Monday news conference. [Pasco County Sheriff’s Office]

A Pasco sheriff's deputy and mother of three has died by suicide, said Sheriff Chris Nocco.

Deputy April Rodriguez, 43, was found Sunday morning. She is the latest in what Nocco called an epidemic of law enforcement suicides.

Rodriguez didn't show up for work that morning, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office said. Deputies attempted to contact her, then went to her apartment, where her coworkers found her.

“She was a good person, with a great heart, and loved her children very much,” Nocco said.

She was the third first-responder in the Tampa Bay region to die by suicide in the past two months. A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy and a St. Petersburg Fire Rescue firefighter both killed themselves in December.
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Widow says "It’s OK to not be OK"

Widow of fallen CHP officer launches suicide prevention project

RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (KCRA)
It’s been nearly four months since California Highway Patrol Officer Sean Poore died while on duty. The 9-year veteran committed suicide inside his patrol car on Oct. 23.

Poore leaves behind his wife, Samantha Poore, and their three young children.

“I just feel guilty because I wish I would have paid attention to those little things that I just didn’t -- I just didn’t see,” Poore said. “I thought he was getting the help that he needed and he wasn’t sharing that he wasn’t.”

Now, Poore is partnering with a Sacramento County sheriff’s deputy to launch The Not OK Project, a suicide prevention organization focused on helping first responders. They want police officers, firefighters, paramedics and dispatchers to know that "it’s OK to not be OK."

“We had an amazing life together, and I never thought that this would be my life," Poore said. "So I’m just going to do this for him."

Poore didn’t realize her husband’s depression ran so deep. She said they lived “a Cinderella story,” falling in love at first sight on the first day of college and having three beautiful children.
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Wounded Iraq Veteran Death Video Shot By Laughing Deputies

Sheriff’s deputies laughed at and filmed Army veteran as he died in a jail cell
Military Times
By: Kyle Rempfer
1 hour ago

The veteran, 31-year-old Bryan Perry, served in the Iraq War, was honorably discharged and received a Purple Heart, his lawyer told local media outlets. Perry’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clackamas County.

An Oregon county sheriff’s office has condemned the actions of three of its deputies who filmed and laughed at an Army veteran as he died of a drug overdose in a padded jail cell.

The veteran, 31-year-old Bryan Perry, served in the Iraq War, was honorably discharged and received a Purple Heart, his lawyer told local media outlets. Perry’s family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Clackamas County.

Two videos were filmed on the deputies’ cell phones in November 2016. In them, viewers can hear the jailers laughing at a man as he flails around in agony.

“We should go show this to his girlfriend and be like, ‘You love this?’ ” one of the deputies said on the recording.

Perry and his girlfriend were arrested together. Prior to the girlfriend being escorted to a separate holding tank for women, she yelled, “I love you, Bryan.”
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The Oregonian
Published on Oct 4, 2018
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts released video that shows employees making callous comments, now the subject of a federal lawsuit, about an inmate suffering symptoms of drug use. The sheriff condemned the laughter and comments as "inappropriate" and said they "do not conform to our professional standards."

Iraq veteran, then police officer, denied surgery?

Army veteran and St. Louis police officer needs back surgery; denied by health insurance
KSDK NBC 5 News
Author: Rachel Menitoff
August 16, 2018

"I can't play with them. I can't wrestle with them. I can't throw the ball with them. I just can't do those things. This gives me a chance to do that. At least, it gives me a solution going forward."

ST. LOUIS — He was a patriot, fighting in Iraq, then became a police officer. He has numerous awards and medals, but he’s also a dad.

He can't even play with his sons because his pain is so severe, pain he got serving his country and community.

Timothy Nolan has had back problems throughout his life. He has a degenerative condition. And he was used to a lot of physical work as an infantry team leader in Iraq, and most recently as a St. Louis police officer.
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UPDATE from Louisiana, another veteran is fighting after he served in the Navy and then as a Sheriff's Deputy!

Vietnam veteran files federal lawsuit against Louisiana VA office director
Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Leigh Guidry
August 17, 2018

A veteran in Lake Charles filed a federal lawsuit against the Louisiana Veterans Affairs regional office director.

George Jackson, 76, lives in Lake Charles with his wife, Helene. On Thursday, she and a veterans advocate went to the U.S. District Court Western District of Louisiana to file the lawsuit against Mark Bologna.

Jackson, the plaintiff, stayed at their home.

"I'm here because my husband, George Jackson, can't be here," she told media Friday.

Jackson is considered tetraplegic, having lost the use of his limbs. He can still move them slightly but he has no strength. He splits his time between a hospital bed in his home and his electric wheelchair.

The Lake Charles native served 30 years in the U.S. Navy, climbing ladders, crouching, lifting heavy things and performing other jobs on ships. He was aboard wooden ships used to sweep rivers for mines during two tours in Vietnam.

"Most of my job was on ships ... 30 years of going up and down ladders," he said.

But he doesn't regret joining the Navy, he said. It was always his dream.

"That's the only thing I really wanted to do," Jackson said. "I watched Navy movies on TV. In first grade, I looked out the window, and I always wanted to be a sailor."

So he joined once he was old enough "and I put 31 years in the military."
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Florida veteran leaves woodland for friends

Howard Altman: Homeless veteran finally agrees to leave the woods behind
Tampa Bay Times
Howard Altman
August 9, 2018

"You know the answer to that," he said, laughing again. "Out in the woods I have the animals — the hawks, squirrels, rabbits and coyotes. Here, I just have my two friends sitting here."

Two people who work with the homeless, Hillsborough sheriff's Deputy Luke Hussey, left, and Thomas Brown, right, finally persuaded veteran Randy Strieby to trade his life in the woods for a hotel room and soon, for an apartment. [Courtesy of Thomas Brown]

Thomas "T-Man" Brown called me up Wednesday afternoon with news that came as a welcome surprise.

A former Army staff sergeant who works with Tampa Crossroads helping homeless veterans, Brown was exuberant.

"Randy the roofer is finally coming out of the woods!"

The last time I saw Randy Strieby, 67, was nearly two years ago. I was traveling with Brown on a mission to Ruskin to find this veteran, who had been living in the woods.

A small, wiry man wearing a dirty green shirt and sweat pants emerged from behind a clump of trees.
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Officer Stewart Beasley Lost Battle For His Own Life

Missing Baytown officer found dead Tuesday morning
KHOU
Author: David Gonzalez, Jamie Galvan
August 7, 2018

Sheriff Hawthorne said everyone is trying to understand how a local hero who seemed to have everything going for him would make the tragic decision to end his life.

Officer Stewart Beasley, a 23-year veteran, was last seen at his Chambers County home around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. His wife reported him missing that night.

CHAMBERS COUNTY, Texas — The search for a missing Baytown Police officer is over.

Chambers County Sheriff’s Office deputies, along with Texas Search and Rescue, discovered the body of Officer Stewart Beasley around 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Beasley’s body was found in a field less than a mile from his home.

Chambers County Sheriff Brian Hawthorne said Beasley died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“We’re cops. We’re supposed to stand in the face of evil, and so sometimes it’s hard for us to admit that we have a problem. It’s hard for us to admit we’re dealing with issues that we can’t cope with, because we’re supposed to be able to cope with anything.” 
Lt. Dorris read more here

Lawsuit: Sheriff fired Deputy because of PTSD?

Army veteran diagnosed with PTSD sues over firing from sheriff's office
NJ.com
Matt Gray
July 6, 2018

Several of John McMickle's co-workers at the Gloucester County Sheriff's Office visited the U.S. Army veteran as he mourned the death of a friend in February 2017.

While McMickle wasn't a drinker, he had several alcoholic beverages that night and ended up in the hospital.

The events of that evening would eventually lead to his firing, and McMickle has filed a suit claiming the county discriminated against him.

McMickle was honorably discharged in 2006 after serving six tours, according to attorney Kevin Costello, and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder related to his service.

The veteran believes, according to the suit filed in Superior Court, that the county treated him unfairly based on his disability, rather than anything he actually did wrong.

Following his trip to the hospital, a health and welfare check was conducted "and no issues were identified." Despite that finding, McMickle's gun and ammunition were removed from his home, the suit states.
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FBI gets case of Iraq veteran being beaten by Deputies

St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith: Deputies accused of beating veteran followed protocol
The Advocate
BY SARA PAGONES AND KATIE MOORE
MAR 23, 2018

However, Cambre's complaint was turned over to the FBI this week, not by the Sheriff's Office, but by 22nd Judicial District Attorney Warren Montgomery following what he called a "preliminary investigation" by his office.

Army veteran Chris Cambre, who says he was beaten by St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's deputies during a welfare check in January, is shown the following day with a facial laceration. Photo provided by Chris Cambre

St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith is defending the five deputies who are accused of beating a military veteran in January, saying that they followed protocol during the incident, including the agency's policy on use of force.

Chris Cambre, a 48-year-old Pearl River resident, said he was severely beaten, Tased and handcuffed by the deputies on the night of Jan. 21, when law enforcement officials came to check on him at his trailer.

Cambre, who is a veteran of the Iraq War, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and had posted on social media that he was struggling, prompting someone to call the police.

A report written by a Pearl River police officer who was on the scene corroborates Cambre's claim that he had behaved calmly and had showed the deputies that he was not armed when they arrived with their weapons drawn.

The officer and Cambre both say that he did not resist the deputies prior to the beating.
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Vietnam Veteran Arthur McAfee, Shot by Deputy After Welfare Check Call

Family speaks out after war veteran was shot, killed by deputy
KLTV ABC News
By Brenna Burger
Monday, January 22nd 2018

HARRISON COUNTY, TX (KLTV)
A Vietnam veteran was shot and killed by a Harrison County deputy Saturday and details are still unclear.

The Harrison County Sheriff's office says it happened at a residence in the 5400 block of Curtis Black Road in western Harrison County, just east of Longview.

"The next thing I knew, I heard two shots, right there in his chest," said the sister of Arthur McAfee.

Lorine McAfee says she was sitting at the bottom of her brother’s feet as a Harrison County deputy shot Arthur McAfee twice in the chest.

"His hands were over his head and I was down there at his feet trying to help control him," McAfee says.

McAfee admits that her brother, Arthur, the 61-year-old Vietnam veteran was being difficult, as the deputy did his best to restrain him.

"Was he violent in any way towards the cop? Physically violent?"

"Yes, he was resisting because he didn't know what was going on, because Arthur was not in his right mind, he didn't know what was going on," McAfee says.

Lorine describes her brother as an intelligent, recent graduate, who had developed post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in the army; the reason for the welfare check call.
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Deputy Proved Saving Veteran's Life Takes More Than Moments

Deputy’s action saves veteran’s life

Grand Lake News
By Darin Hinman
Posted Dec 13, 2017

Delaware County Sheriff's Deputy Cody Thompson receives challenge coin from Mark Morgan, Director of the Muskogee VA 
Darin Hinman Delaware County Journal

In all, Thompson spent a combined 15 hours helping the man, and ultimately encouraging him to seek out treatment. Thompson assisted the veteran to develop a treatment plan and followed up not only with the man, but also with his family.

Law enforcement officers make critical decisions every day, some with life and death consequences. One decision, made with compassion, by Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputy Cody Thompson Cody Thompson not only made a difference but saved the life of a veteran in need. 

Earlier this year, Thompson was sent to conduct a welfare check for a veteran, living in Delaware County, who called the veteran’s crisis line.

Thompson, who served in the U.S. Army from 2010 to 2016 as a combat engineer and spend time deployed to Afghanistan, took the time to ensure the man was treated properly during their encounter.

“He needed the help,” Thompson said. “He just wanted to sit and talk. It felt like the right thing to do.” read more here

Hit and Run in Florida Killed Michigan Sheriff's Deputy

Michigan sheriff's deputy killed in hit-and-run while vacationing in Florida

MLive

October 4, 2017

A 31-year-old Oakland County sheriff's deputy died in a hit-and-run crash in Orlando, Florida, while on vacation with her husband on Sunday, Oct. 1, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office says.

"Forensic Lab Specialist Deputy Jennifer Garringer was crossing a street using a crosswalk and was struck by a vehicle, which initially fled the scene," the sheriff's office said. "A security guard witnessed the accident and was able to track down the suspect's vehicle."

The crash is being investigate by the Florida Highway Patrol.

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Elderly Veteran With PTSD Shot and Killed

Neighbor: South Knox County man killed by deputies suffered from PTSD
USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee
Hayes Hickman
May 24, 2017

A South Knox County man shot and killed in an armed confrontation with sheriff's deputies Tuesday night has been identified by his neighbor as an elderly veteran who was known to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.

Albert Gagnier, 74, fired several shots from his house and while standing in the street, then fired at deputies as they responded to the scene in the Woodhaven subdivision, according to his neighbor Amanda Moore.

It was common knowledge among the neighborhood that Gagnier suffered from mental illness, she said. She did not know the details of his military service.

"Everybody just knows Mr. Al loses his mind sometimes, but he's never done anything like this," Moore told the USA TODAY NETWORK - Tennessee on Wednesday. "He usually just yells at kids in the neighborhood."
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72 Year Old Army Veteran Guarded Sheriff's Deputy

Army veteran’s selfless act stuns Florida sheriff’s deputy
BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE

POSTED 9:06 AM, JULY 18, 2016,

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A Florida sheriff’s deputy was shocked by the selfless act of an Army veteran while he pumped gas on July 10th.

Lake County sheriff’s deputy David Causey had stopped to refuel his department SUV when he noticed an elderly man standing nearby, acting suspiciously, Fox 35 reports.

“I noticed this gentleman show up out of nowhere, standing behind my patrol car scanning the area (apparently better than I had been),” he posted on Facebook.

That man was Casey DeLoach, a 73-year-old Army veteran.

DeLoach remained until Causey had finished filling up his vehicle, when he said, “Thank you sir for what you do. I have your back.”

He then walked to his car on the other side of the parking lot and drove away without ever giving Causey his name.
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Florida Deputy John Robert Kotfila, Jr. Killed By Wrong Way Driver

Florida deputy killed after being hit by wrong way driver
FOX News
March 13, 2016

A Florida sheriff’s deputy was killed after his car collided head-on with another vehicle early Saturday, authorities said.

Deputy John Kotfila, Jr. (center) pictured with his father John Kotfila, Sr.

and his brother Michael Kotfila.(Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office)

John Robert Kotfila, Jr., 30, was a deputy at the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. He had just left a hospital where he had been working on an investigation when his vehicle collided with the vehicle of a driver who was heading the wrong way on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

Erik Thomas McBeth, 31, of Hudson, was identified as the other driver in the accident and died at Tampa General Hospital, The Tampa Tribune reported. He was heading west on an elevated highway that was dedicated to eastbound traffic at the time and slammed into Kotflia’s 2013 Dodge Charger at around 2:45 a.m. in Tampa.
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Ex-Deputy Facing Charges as Fake Veteran With PTSD

How is it that there is still a stigma about being a veteran with PTSD yet so many non-veterans are claiming they have it from service?

Former Warren County sheriff's deputy accused of filing false report, lying about military honors
KMOV News
By Stephanie Baumer, Online News Producer
Oct 28, 2015

WARREN COUNTY, Mo. (KMOV.com) – A former deputy with the Warren County Sheriff’s Department is accused of faking a report and lying about being a combat veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Houston Deputy Shot Dead While Pumping Gas!

Deputy fatally shot from behind at Houston gas station
The Associated Press
Aug 29th 2015

HOUSTON (AP) — A sheriff's deputy in uniform was shot and killed Friday night while filling up his patrol car at a suburban Houston gas station, according to authorities.

Deputy Darren Goforth, 47, was pumping gas into his vehicle about 8:30 p.m. Friday when a man approached him from behind and fired multiple shots, Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman Ryan Sullivan told The Associated Press. Once the deputy fell to the ground, the suspect fired more shots.

"In my 45 years in law enforcement, I can't recall another incident so cold-blooded and cowardly." RON HICKMAN, HARRIS COUNTY SHERIFF

Police described the suspect as a dark-complexioned male who is believed to be between 20 and 25 years old, and stands about 5-foot-10 to 6-feet tall. He was wearing a white T-shirt and red shorts and driving a red or maroon pickup-style truck with an extended cab. Police said an intensive search for the suspect remained ongoing Saturday morning.
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"White House Fence Jumper" Killed After Attacking Deputy

Man Previously Arrested For Climbing White House Wall Killed After Attacking Sheriff 
He had a criminal record that included arrests for assault and burglary.
Reuters Posted: 08/25/2015 Aug 25

(Reuters) - A man arrested for climbing a White House fence earlier this year was shot and killed at a suburban Pennsylvania courthouse on Tuesday after he sliced a sheriff's deputy with a knife, the local district attorney said.

Curtis Smith, 34, is accused of entering the lobby of the Chester County Justice Center at about 11 a.m. and slashing a sheriff's deputy on the arm or hand, Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan said in a statement.

A second deputy in the lobby drew his weapon and shot Smith, who was treated at the scene but later died at Paoli Hospital, Hogan said. read more here

Brevard County Deputy "Slight Improvement" After Being Shot

Sheriff: Brevard deputy shot in line of duty shows slight improvement
WFTV News 9
Posted: 5:16 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A Brevard County deputy who was shot multiple times during a prostitution bust is showing small signs of improvement, the Brevard County sheriff said. Agent John Casey Smith was on his way to make an arrest Thursday night when the alleged prostitute’s uncle opened fire.

At a blood drive Saturday, Sheriff Wayne Ivey said Smith, who remains in critical condition, showed slight improvement.
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