COLUMBUS, Ohio — Nine Ohio peace officers who died in the line of duty over the last several years were honored in a tribute on Thursday.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, members of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission and law enforcement officers throughout the state gathered at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in Madison County for the 36th annual Ohio Peace Officers Memorial Ceremony.
This year's ceremony paid tribute to the nine officers who died between 2020 and 2023 and one historical honoree.
Thursday's ceremony also marked the public unveiling of a renovation of the Fallen Officers Memorial Wall. The wall includes 32 panels of black granite with the names of 836 fallen officers freshly engraved.
The names of the nine officers memorialized this year are:
Deputy Joshua I. Hamilton, Preble County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Hamilton died in a head-on crash on a dark, rural road in Preble County on Dec. 18, 2023, while pursuing a speeding motorist. He was 34. Hamilton had been with the Preble County Sheriff’s Office about 1½ years, since May 2022. He was assigned to the jail until June 2023, when he was promoted to road patrol. Before entering law enforcement, Hamilton was in the Navy, serving on the USS Nimitz. He later served in the Navy Reserve and Army National Guard. He is survived by a young daughter and his parents.
Deputy Marcus L. Zeigler, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office
Nine months after joining the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office as a corrections officer, Deputy Zeigler collapsed during a training run at the Great Oaks police academy, where he was pursuing the next stage of his career. He was rushed to the hospital but died two days later, on May 26, 2023. He was 36. Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey remembers swearing him in as a deputy: “There was no mistaking his pride in that uniform.” Zeigler loved firearms and quickly became an expert. From 2017 to 2022, he operated his own training business, Zeigler Defense Systems. He is survived by his wife and five children.
Officer Timothy J. Unwin, Springfield Township Police Department'
Officer Unwin died in a car crash on March 31, 2023, as he was responding to a radio call for assistance from fellow officers who were being attacked by an individual resisting arrest. He was 31. He had joined the Springfield Township Police Department on May 24, 2021. He started his career as a corrections officer with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office before joining the city of Hamilton Police Department. “He made everyone smile with his antics,” Springfield Township Chief Rick Bley said. “He truly made everyone a better person.” He is survived by his parents and siblings.
Deputy Terrance N. Bateman, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Bateman was a kind man with a quiet demeanor and a servant’s heart, his colleagues said. A 25-year veteran of the Corrections Division in the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, he provided encouragement to his co-workers and the inmates he supervised. “Mr. B never missed an opportunity to say a kind word. He was simply loved,” his colleagues wrote in an online tribute soon after his death. Bateman is remembered for his commitment to faith and family. He died of COVID-19 on Jan. 15, 2022. He was 59. He is survived by his wife and seven children.
Corporal Matthew D. Mitchell, South Vienna Police Department
Cpl. Mitchell served three years with the South Vienna Police Department and, before that, five years with the South Charleston Police, where he also was a member of the Clark County drug task force. Before deciding to go into law enforcement and attending the Clark State Police Academy, he worked with a private investigations company. His first job out of the academy was with the Port William Police Department, in Clinton County. In early December 2021, in the course of his job, Mitchell contracted COVID-19. He died Dec. 29 at age 52. He is survived by his longtime girlfriend and three children.
Officer Anthony E. Cloyd, University of Dayton Department of Public Safety
Like many other first responders, Officer Cloyd contracted COVID-19 while carrying out his duties. He died on Dec. 9, 2021, at age 59, the first UD officer to die in the line of duty. Cloyd became a peace officer later in life. At 43 he went to the police academy, then landed his first and only job, at UD, in 2005. As a patrol officer, he enjoyed interacting with students and university area residents. He was a favorite of the Flyers basketball team and was close with university administrators. His wife remembers him as someone who always put others first with small acts of kindness. He is also survived by three sons.
Deputy Billy I. Ihrig, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office
Deputy Ihrig died on Oct. 28, 2021, after suffering complications from COVID-19. He is believed to have contracted the virus about a month earlier while restraining a suspect he had arrested. Ihrig entered law enforcement after serving 13 years in the Marine Corps. He started his 17-year career with the sheriff’s office in corrections, moved to the detective bureau, and spent the last several years working in patrol. His love and commitment to the military never wavered. After leaving active service, he volunteered with the American Legion and the VFW, as well as the FOP. His family remembers his enduring willingness to help people. Ihrig was 52. He is survived by his longtime girlfriend and six children.
Officer Gerald F. Lynch, Mentor Police Department
Officer Lynch started his law enforcement career in 1987 after serving overseas in the U.S. Army. He retired as a lieutenant in 2016 after 24 years with the Painesville Police Department, but he returned to service the following year with the City of Mentor as a part-time officer in Municipal Court. While working for Mentor, Lynch contracted COVID-19. He died on Oct. 3, 2021, at the age of 56. The father of three is remembered by his wife as being selfless in his work, noting that on several occasions he had declined honors so that lower-ranking officers would be recognized instead.
Patrolman Mark U. Heinl, St. Henry Police Department
Patrolman Heinl died at age 60 on Nov. 28, 2020, after a monthlong battle with COVID-19. Before joining the St. Henry Police Department, he had retired as a captain from the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office after a decades-long career there. Heinl also was an active volunteer with several local emergency response agencies and numerous community organizations. His family continues his legacy in the profession: A son and daughter-in-law work for the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office, and another son is with the Columbus Division of Police. Heinl’s wife and four children established a scholarship fund in his memory, which so far has provided academy tuition to three cadets.
