Fallen hero: Sweetwater cop honored more than 35 years after line-of-duty death

SWEETWATER, Fla. – More than 3 decades aft the decease of Sweetwater Police Officer James Mathis Beasley Jr., the metropolis officially honored its lone serviceman killed successful the enactment of work during a memorial ceremonial Thursday astatine Vista Memorial Gardens successful Miami Lakes.

The tribute coincided with National Peace Officers Memorial Day, with flags crossed Florida flying astatine half-staff by bid of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Authorities said Beasley, 44, was killed connected June 25, 1986, erstwhile helium was intentionally struck by Miguel Ernesto Lingren, who was driving a stolen conveyance arsenic Beasley attempted to acceptable up a roadblock.

They said Lingren was an escapee who was being pursued by deputies from different county.

Beasley was survived by his wife, 4 children, parents and sister. His woman died successful 2007 and is buried beside him.

Chief Sergio Diez, who was precocious appointed to pb the Sweetwater Police Department, said helium was moved to enactment aft learning the section had ne'er held a graveside memorial for Beasley.

“We had an serviceman who was struck by a fleeing felon successful 1986,” Diez said. “Officer Beasley is the lone serviceman who was ever killed successful the enactment of work for Sweetwater’s Police Department truthful it is precise important to maine to grant him.”

The memorial drew Beasley’s 3 surviving daughters — Laura Currier, Kelly Hepler and Tracy Wilson — who traveled from antithetic parts of the authorities to attend. Their brother, James Mathis Beasley III, was incapable to be owed to enactment obligations.

“I americium a small affectional due to the fact that I person friends buried present that were killed successful the enactment of duty,” Diez said. “So I instrumentality it very, precise superior and 1 of my archetypal acts arsenic a main was to interaction the family.”

At the ceremony, Diez besides announced Beasley had been posthumously promoted.

“We are besides promoting him internally to sergeant,” Diez said. “Here we are showing the past — this would person been what helium was wearing erstwhile helium was killed successful the enactment of work — and this is now, our caller patch, and contiguous we person promoted him to sergeant. I adjacent made him an ID, truthful I volition beryllium giving the families an ID too.”

The promotion was met with emotion from Beasley’s daughters.

“That is astonishing and I can’t hold to person a one-on-one with my dada and archer him that helium yet got sergeant. He would beryllium truthful excited and flabbergasted that helium yet made sergeant aft each these years,” Wilson said.

She said the ceremonial stirred achy yet important memories.

“It brought backmost a batch of memories of that atrocious day, but it is good to spell back, it is good to remember, it is good to consciousness those feelings,” Wilson added. “It really feels benignant of bully to retrieve that time and spell back. And arsenic atrocious and arsenic hard arsenic it was, it’s bully to remember.”

Hepler said the household ever admired their father’s dedication to instrumentality enforcement.

“He was decidedly a household antheral and helium didn’t privation to permission my ma with precise young kids, truthful helium waited until we were overmuch older earlier helium pursued being a metropolis constabulary officer,” she said. “So erstwhile helium became an serviceman we each were precise thrilled and excited for him due to the fact that we knew that is what helium ever wanted to do.”

The household besides reflected connected their enslaved and the value of being unneurotic again for the ceremony.

“We don’t get to spot each different each the time. We are a precise adjacent family, but we unrecorded successful antithetic cities,” Hepler said. “So america getting unneurotic contiguous anterior to coming here, we did our ain reminiscing astir what we remember, truthful it was truly bully to bash that.”

Laura Currier offered her acknowledgment to the SPD for ensuring her father’s sacrifice is remembered.

“I privation to convey each of you from Sweetwater for doing everything you person done to bring backmost these memories,” Currier said. “He got his dream. He ever wanted to beryllium a constabulary officer.”

Diez said his connection to the household was elemental and heartfelt: “Officer Beasley volition ne'er beryllium forgotten.”

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