“If we felt sad, he helped us get to a place where we were happy,” Young said. “If we felt scared, we weren’t scared with big Matt beside us.”
Yates was killed inside a trailer on July 24, 2022, at 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.
Young said Yates always asked the people he cared about, “You good?” Young hopes the road serves as a reminder for drivers to pull over if they aren’t, and for people to check on their loved ones.
State Rep. Bernie Willis, who helped the sheriff’s office gain approval in getting the road dedicated, said everyone who worked with Yates told him the deputy was someone they could “follow into the dark.” He said Yates was a positive light who didn’t let the negatives get him down.
“Well, standing here dressed up, many of us in full gear, dodging traffic and rain blowing right in our faces ... so in some way maybe this is Matt messing with us a little bit,” Willis said.
The sign is “one small way” to give back to Yates for his service to the county, and to make sure he is never forgotten, Willis said. He said he can’t put into words or summarize the impact Yates had on everyone he knew.
Before unveiling the sign, Young asked the crowd “You good?” to which everyone responded “I’m good,” as the deputy’s wife, Tracy Yates, removed a covering.
Credit: Bill Lackey
Credit: Bill Lackey
Sheriff Deb Burchett presented Yates’ wife with a miniature version of the sign that hangs above a U.S. flag.
On May 5, Yates was honored as his name was added to the Ohio Peace Officers Memorial wall in London, which memorializes law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. On May 15, he was recognized at the national memorial in Washington, D.C.
Yates is the second deputy in Clark County to have a dedicated road: Deputy Suzanne Hopper, who was shot to death while responding to a call in 2011, is honored on a section of Interstate 70 near Enon.
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