“I have never heard a single person ever — whether in the criminal justice community or the criminal community — ever have a bad word to say about Matt Yates,” Shultz said.
The names of six Dayton police officers who died more than 100 years ago were also added to the memorial wall.
The ceremony started at 11 a.m. at the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy in London with a flute tribute before the families of the lost officers were escorted in. A procession marched by, including bagpipe-players and drummers from law enforcement agencies all over the state.
A memorial wreath was hung below the eternal flame and a woman sang the National Anthem before a reverend led the attendees in prayer.
The 41-year-old Yates is remembered as a gentle giant by his law enforcement colleagues.
“He devoted his life to making his community better,” Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett said at his funeral service last year, where nearly 2,000 mourners gathered. “Matthew would be overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for him.”
Yates was killed inside a trailer at the Harmony Estates as he responded to a report of a shooting. Investigators later determined that Cole White, 27, shot and killed his mother, Jodie Arbuckle, 47, and then Yates as deputies entered the trailer. Arbuckle went to the trailer to check on her son, who had mental health issues.
White engaged in a standoff with law enforcement for hours before teams could remove Yates’ body. The trailer erupted in flames shortly after.
Yates had a stock phrase, Shultz said: “You good?”
“We are good, even though we miss him and we’re going to continue to miss him,” Shultz said. “We’re going to keep going.”
The memorial event added eight law enforcement officers who died between 2020 and 2022.
In addition to Yates, the event paid tribute to Deputy Robert C. “Craig” Mills of the Butler County Sheriff’s Office, who died in September 2021 from COVID-19 complications.
Others added to the memorial wall include:
- Deputy Daniel J. Kin, Wyandot County Sheriff’s Office
- Officer Dominic M. Francis, Bluffton Police Department
- Agent John D. Stayrook, Medina County Drug Task Force
- Patrolman Sean E. Vandenberg, Lawrence Twp. Police Department
- Officer Edward L. Stewart, Akron Police Department
- Officer Kenneth C. Jones, Akron Police Department
The Dayton officers died between 1918-1920 of complications from Spanish Influenza after they had been ordered to close saloons that violated health orders, staff ambulances, keep crowds from gathering and remove corpses.
The officers were: Patrolman Lawrence Robert Graham, who died October 7, 1918; Patrolman Vinton E. Harsh, who died October 13, 1918; Patrolman Edward Michael Hennessey, who died October 12, 1918; Patrolman Emerson A. Glotfelter, who died December 7, 1918; Patrolman Clement Leroy Francis, who died March 8, 1919; and Patrolman Troy Elmer Sine, who died January 28, 1920.
One other officer from the 1900s was added, too. Deputy Herbert Minshull of Perry County was shot in the line of duty while serving a warrant in 1945, according to a release.
Attorney General Dave Yost said during the ceremony that the purpose of the memorial wall is to ensure the officers who died in the line of duty will not be forgotten.
“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.”
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