LONDON, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission and law enforcement officers from throughout the state gathered for a special ceremony on Thursday to honor five peace officers who died in the line of duty last year.
The 34th Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony was held at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London to honor the following five officers:
- Officer Scott R. Dawley with the Nelsonville Police Department
- Officer Brandon M. Stalker with the Toledo Police Department
- Deputy Donald R. Gilreath III with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office
- Natural Resources Officer Jason S. Lagore with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources
- Officer Shane H. Bartek with the Cleveland Division of Police
Dawley, who was a 7-year veteran with Nelsonville, died in a three-vehicle crash on Aug. 3 while responding to a report of gunfire. Yost's office said the 43-year-old officer was well-known for his selflessness, humor and sense of justice. He left behind a wife and seven children.
Stalker, 24, was fatally shot at a SWAT scene on Jan. 18 when a suspect opened fire while trying to flee the house he had barricaded himself in. Stalker had graduated from the police academy two years prior. Yost's office said he often talked about his two young children, his fiancée and their upcoming wedding.
Gilreath died of complications from the COVID-19 virus at the age of 36 on Feb. 12. The 15-year veteran oversaw the control room at the Hamilton County Justice Center. He left behind his wife and three children.
Lagore, 36, suffered a heart attack at Rocky Fork State Park in Highland County on Feb. 23. The ONDR office had the heart attack while he and his K-9 partner were searching for the body of a 16-year-old girl who had fallen through an icy lake. The husband and father of two later died at an area hospital. Yost's office said Lagore, a 15-year veteran, was the driving force behind ODNR's K-9 program.
Bartek was shot and killed when a woman on New Year's Eve when a woman ambushed him from behind to steal his car, according to Yost's office. Bartek, who was off duty at the time of the shooting, was with the division for two years. Yost's office said Bartek loved the Shop with a Cop program at Christmas time and was working on furthering his career as an officer.
“These names are carved in stone so that they resist the passage of time – the wear and tear of cold and ice, and especially, the dimming of memory," Yost said.
The ceremony also honored Deputy Rex Faux of the Summit County Sheriff's Office who died in the line of duty in 1933 but never got recognition. His name was also added to the memorial wall.
