MCHENRY COUNTY (WREX) — This Saturday, March 7 marks the one year, somber anniversary of Deputy Jake Keltner's tragic passing in the line of duty.
He was a husband, a father, and a brother in blue.
"He was always one who could crack a joke to lighten the mood," Lt. James Popovits of the McHenry County Sheriff's Office says. "Just a great person to be around."
"When you see people doing positive things, I do think of Jake," an emotional Sheriff Bill Prim of the McHenry County Sheriff's Office says.
And though Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb didn't know Keltner directly, many of his officers did. Over the last year, they've filled him in on who the fallen deputy really was.
"Everybody that did know him says what a wonderful guy he was," Chief Lieb says.
On March 7, 2019, Deputy Keltner was part of a team that included the U.S. Marshal's Service and was serving a warrant to a suspect at a Rockford hotel. The suspect, Floyd Brown, allegedly opened fired from inside the hotel striking Keltner.
Brown was eventually apprehended and faces 75 charges, including 60 counts of first degree murder.
Sheriff Prim and Lt. Popovits say it's a day they'll never forget.
"We made it there (to Rockford) in record time to see if there was anything we could do," Lt. Popovits recalls.
But in the aftermath of Deputy Keltner's tragic death, they say something amazing happened.
"Civilians and businesses and stuff like that just froze for a moment in that instance to recognize that we're escorting a hero," Lt. Popovits says.
The community came together. Thousands of people lined the streets as brother and sisters in blue watched a solemn procession from Rockford all the way to Woodstock. The fallen hero came home one last time.
"It was nothing short of spectacular," Sheriff Prim remembers. "It let's you know that what you're doing is not in vain. When you see people of every size, shape, gender, and age waving a flag, saluting, and putting their hands over their hearts. It's very, very meaningful."
But as a year passes, the law enforcement community, and the larger community of Woodstock, continues the healing process.
"We have to move forward," Sheriff Prim says. "We have a job to do."
But this week, everyone is taking a moment to reflect on the legacy Deputy Jake Keltner left behind.
"The pain will subside, but we won't forget the contribution that he made to keeping our community safe," Chief Lieb says.
But for some, the healing process is a little slower, especially for those who worked closely with him.
"Jake was the type of person that in a lifetime - one of those people that once in a lifetime come along, and you're not just going to forget this person, and he was that type of person," Lt. Popovits says.
To honor him, the McHenry County Sheriff's Office, where Deputy Keltner worked for over a decade, will name a street after him.
Jake Keltner, a fallen hero that lives on.
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March 07, 2020 at 11:23AM
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Deputy Jake Keltner's lasting legacy - WREX-TV
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