Today is Peace Officer Memorial Day, a day dedicated to the memory of our law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. According to retired Marion County Sheriff Ron Goemaat, three law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty in Marion County. John Van Haaften, a member of the Pella Police department was shot and killed assisting the Knoxville Police Department while making a drug bust in 1980.
Marion County Sheriff’s Office Jailer Virgil Behrens was killed in a car wreck while on to the way to training in Des Moines. Marion County Sheriff’s Deputy Harold Gates was shot and killed while responding to an altercation at a home in Pella in 1967. For more on the stories of officers Van Haaften and Gates, including interviews with other law enforcement officers on scene when the shootings occurred, tune in to IN DEPTH after our news magazines at 8, 1 and 6pm, and listen to yesterday’s IN DEPTH at https://kniakrls.com