Indiana State Police Toll Road Post holds annual Memorial Service

BRISTOL, Ind. -   Local law enforcement officers, retired state police employees, local government officials, and family members of the fallen joined employees from the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post, on Wednesday, to pay tribute to the 49 Indiana State Police employees who have died in the line of duty since the department’s inception in 1933.

Every year, each Indiana State Police Post holds a memorial service during the month of May.

The services are also for the family members of the fallen heroes.

Wednesday’s service started with troopers standing at attention as Indiana State Police Superintendent Doug Carter read the names of the fallen employees.

Lieutenant Mike Young, commander of the Indiana State Police Toll Road Post, briefly described what led to the fallen employees’ final call.

The ceremony ended with the playing of Taps by a bugler.

Officials say two Indiana State Troopers from the Toll Road Post have died in the line of duty:

Master Trooper David A. Deuter: Deuter died on July 16, 1998.  While on patrol, Deuter stopped a motorist on the Indiana Toll Road in LaGrange County.  While standing by the driver's door, a westbound tractor trailer struck and killed him.

Trooper Richard T. Gaston: Gaston died on March 4, 1999, while in his final days of his field training.  Gaston and his field training officer, Senior Trooper Brad Kaizer stopped a vehicle on the Indiana Toll Road in St. Joseph County. During the stop a tractor trailer traveling west struck the trooper's vehicle and the vehicle they had stopped.  Gaston and two occupants of the stopped vehicle were killed in this crash.