Once again law enforcement officers, dignitaries and community members gathered to pay tribute to those who have fallen in the line of duty in Stanislaus County at the peace officers’ memorial, held the morning of May 1 at Lakewood Memorial Park.
The Stanislaus County Peace Officer Association’s memorial tribute to the fallen law enforcement in the county included a helicopter fly-over, a 21-gun salute, laying of a wreath and a motorcade and equestrian procession of law enforcement from around the county.
The first officer in Stanislaus County to die on the job was Lavon B. New who crashed his Turlock Police motorcycle and died four months later on Aug. 14, 1935.
Turlock Police officers Joe Kerley and Glenn Winans were scheduled to go off duty at midnight on Nov. 1, 1949, but decided to respond to a prowler call before clocking out. They joined with Officer George Bredenberg, who just came onto his shift. The three jumped into a patrol car and traveled into thick fog which shrouded a railroad crossing where they entered the path of a passing train. Kerley and Winans were killed instantly and Bredenberg died two days later.
Riverbank Police Officer Harold B. Harless died on Oct.17, 1965, when his patrol car was struck by while he was conducting a roadblock on Patterson Road and Palmer Avenue. The other vehicle had struck a California Highway Patrol car and was being pursued by the trooper. During the pursuit, the driver turned off the car's headlights and struck Harless' patrol car while traveling at an estimated 100 mph.
Sheriff's Deputy Harold Thornton died as he responded to a south Modesto domestic violence call on Aug. 23, 1967, and was ambushed by the suspect. The call said there had been a stabbing. When Thornton arrived, the suspect opened fire with a .38 caliber revolver, striking him several times. Although mortally wounded, Deputy Thornton returned fire and wounded the suspect, who was then taken into custody.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Billy Joe Dickens died in a Jan. 27, 1970, in a Hughson bank robbery. Dickens responded to the scene after an employee activated a silent alarm. The two suspects shot him as they fled the bank. They then stole his unmarked car and fled the scene. One of the two suspects was later shot and killed by other officers. The second suspect was arrested and convicted of robbery and murder of a peace officer.
Officer Raymond Willert, 26, a five-year Turlock police veteran, died on Feb. 9, 1973, as he responded to a Turlock bank robbery. The first officers on the scene detained a person matching the description behind the bank. Willert approached from the front of the bank, using the bank as cover. Unfortunately, officers did not know that the real suspects were inside the bank and preparing to execute bank employees to eliminate any witnesses. Willert walked by the front glass window and was shot in the head at nearly point-blank range. The sound of the fatal gunshot alerted officers in the back and were able to kill one of the robbers while capturing the other two. Authorities said all of the bank hostages who were seconds from being murdered had survived because of the actions of Willert.
Modesto Police Officer Leo Robert “Bobby” Volk Jr. died on May 21, 1973. Volk was in a vehicle pursuit of a fugitive suspect when a car pulled out in front of him. He avoided the collision with the civilian by swerving but the right front tire of his patrol car deflated, causing him to lose control. The patrol car skidded into a construction site, where it hit a large concrete block. The force of the collision was so severe the car was thrown into reverse, causing it to accelerate 130 feet backward before hitting a light pole and coming to rest. Volk was pinned in the wreckage for 40 minutes before rescue crews could remove him and rush him to the hospital, where he later died from his injuries.
On Jan. 9, 2005, Ceres Police sustained its first officer death when Sgt. Howard K. Stevenson was ambushed and slain outside of the George's Liquors. Stevenson and other officers had responded to a liquor store on North Central Avenue to investigate reports of an armed male who was acting strangely. The first officer on the scene was shot and wounded by the suspect. This officer took cover behind a car and returned fire as Stevenson arrived at the scene. Stevenson exited his patrol car from the opposite side of the store and immediately engaged the suspect, firing eight shots before being shot himself. Stevenson was struck three times in his torso and legs. The suspect then shot him twice in the head as he lay on the ground. The suspect exchanged shots with responding officers before fleeing the scene. He was shot and killed approximately three hours later during a second shootout.
On Feb. 17, 2006, the county was rocked by the death of CHP Officer Earl H. Scott of Hughson. He was gunned down by Columbus Allen Jr. during a Highway 99 traffic stop just south of Hammett Road near Salida. Scott stopped a vehicle that he had observed speeding on northbound Highway 99. Scott approached the vehicle and obtained the registration card from Allen and as he walked back to his patrol car the suspect opened fire, fatally shooting him in the head. A passing motorist, who was also heading north, saw the officer falling to the ground and the suspect's car speeding away. The witness exited the freeway and turned around, returning to the scene where he called authorities on a cell phone. When backup officers arrived they were able to identify the suspect's car by the registration that was still in Officer Scott's hand. The officers were able to find the suspect by identifying the car. He was arrested and charged with murder, although he claimed that his car was stolen and he hadn't committed the crime. The suspect had an extensive criminal record, including arrests for robbery and assaulting a police officer. In August 2010 he plead guilty to Officer Scott's murder and was convicted and sentenced to life in prison plus three years without the possibility of parole; he cannot appeal this conviction as part of the plea agreement.
Modesto Police Sgt. Steve May died on July 23, 2009, as the victim of a seven-year coma from injuries sustained when a felon crashed into his car during a July 29, 2002 crash at South Santa Cruz and Mono Drive. May started his police career working with Ceres Police before transferring to Modesto Police in 1979. The suspect had rammed two Stanislaus County deputies earlier in the evening as they investigated the vehicle's license plates. The man fled into Modesto, where he was located and followed by a Modesto police officer. As the driver began to flee from the officer he ran a stop sign at the intersection of South Santa Cruz and Mono Drive and crashed into May's patrol car. The collision knocked the suspect's vehicle into a nearby house, which collapsed onto him and killed him. May's vehicle was pushed into a tree, causing him to suffer a fractured skull and other injuries. He never regained consciousness.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert “Bob” Lee Paris, Jr., was killed April 12, 2012, while he and another deputy were serving an eviction notice at the Whispering Woods apartment complex on Chrysler Drive in Modesto. The suspect also killed a locksmith brought to the eviction. The shooting prompted an hours long standoff that eventually ended when the suspect took his own life.
Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Wallace, 53, was murdered during a Nov. 13, 2016, traffic stop at Fox Grove, miles upstream from his final resting spot. Wallace was investigating a suspicious vehicle and had requested backup when he learned the vehicle was stolen. When the second deputy arrived, he discovered Deputy Wallace suffering two gunshot wounds to the head. It was quickly determined that he was shot in the head at point-blank range. The suspect was later arrested and sentenced to prison.
Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason A. Garner and Community Service Officer Raschel Johnson both died on May 13, 2017, when their patrol vehicle crashed while responding to a burglary call. The patrol SUV left the roadway near the intersection of Crows Landing Road and Seventh Street before striking a parked vehicle and dumpster. The collision caused the vehicle to become engulfed in flames.
In November 2018, Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Deputy Antonio “Tony” Hinostroza, 45, died in a vehicle collision while responding to a call in Riverbank. Hinostroza was killed in a vehicle crash as he responded to assist other deputies who were involved in a vehicle pursuit in Riverbank. The pursuit started after deputies had been called to check on the welfare of a subject who was sleeping behind the wheel of an SUV. As the deputies contacted the man he accelerated away from them, leading them on a pursuit. Hinostroza responded to assist in the pursuit his vehicle left the roadway and struck a utility pole at the intersection of Claribel Road and Terminal Avenue. Rescue personnel were unable to resuscitate him at the scene.
In December 2018, Newman Police Cpl. Ronil Singh, 33, was fatally shot during a traffic stop for a suspected driving under the influence. Approximately three minutes after initiating the stop he radioed dispatch that shots had been fired. Responding officers found Singh at the scene suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his wounds. Singh was born in Fiji and came to the United States to pursue his dream of becoming a police officer. Singh started his law enforcement career as a volunteer with the Modesto Police Department and then served as a cadet and animal service officer with the Turlock Police Department. He worked in Turlock from 2006 to 2010 and then joined the Merced County Sheriff’s Department as a deputy in 2010. He graduated Modesto Junior College in 2009 with a degree in criminal justice. Singh joined the Newman Police Department in 2011.
National Police Week is May 12-18. It began in 1962 when President John Kennedy proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day and the calendar week in which May 15 falls, as National Police Week. National Police Week pays special recognition to those law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of others. The week includes several ceremonial tributes in Washington D.C.
Merced County is scheduled to hold their peace officer memorial at 9 a.m. May 29 at 2222 M Street in Merced.
— Jeff Benziger contributed to this report.
