GRAND ISLAND – The names of three law enforcement officers were added to the Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial on Friday, May 17.
Grand Island Police Officer Christopher Marcello (died July 27, 2022), Shelton Night Marshal Orren Eatherton (died March 29, 1956), and Buffalo County Deputy Sheriff Willis Daggett (died Jan. 20, 1930) had their names added to the list. The Memorial is located on the north side of State Fair Boulevard between South Locust Street and Fonner Park.
The memorial service occurred four days after Marcello’s name was added to the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C. A team of officers and Grand Island Police Chief Kevin Denney attended the ceremony.
Approximately 200 to 300 people attended Friday’s event. Bleachers were set up, and law enforcement officers stood in a line on the north side of the bleachers, facing the memorial.
“We have extraordinary people who have answered the call to keep us safe,” Gov. Jim Pillen said after the ceremony. “And some paid the ultimate sacrifice. So we do things like this to keep their spirits alive and to give comfort to their families.”
The Nebraska Law Enforcement Memorial was dedicated in 2009. Every year, during National Police Week, names are added to the monument.
In opening statements, Pillen said, “We way thank you to the men and women in blue…for your ultimate call to service.”
Attorney General Mike Hilgers said, “Thank you to the men and women in blue who are here. You and your families are in my prayers.”
Although this is Law Enforcement Memorial Week, Hilgers said, the public should thank law enforcement officers throughout the year for their work.
Grand Island Police Chief Kevin Denney said, “We’re in law enforcement because we want to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We want to leave a legacy for our children.”
Denney asked for blessings for the survivors of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
Denney gave an introduction about Marcello.
“He left a hold in the department and in his family” when he died, Denney said about Marcello. He noted that Marcello had the “heart” to save children when he served as a child abuse investigator.
“You will never be forgotten,” Denney said about Marcello.
From that introduction and other information available about Marcello:
Marcello, 42, was a police investigator when he died of natural causes in 2022. He started his career at the Grand Island Police Department in 2013, and served on patrol, as a school resource officer at Grand Island Senior High School, and as an investigator. He was a recipient of the department’s Life Saving Award and was a member of the department’s Tactical Response Unit.
Marcello was a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard, where he was deployed several times to Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. He retired from the National Guard in May 2020 with the rank of First Sergeant.
In 2017, Marcello was the grand marshal at the Nebraska State Fair’s Salute to Our Veterans Celebration parade.
Marcello and his wife, Tami, had four children: Vincent, Mia, Ophelia, and Victor.
Buffalo County Attorney Shawn Eatherton gave an introduction about his great-grandfather, Orren Eatherton. Eatherton said his elderly grandfather wanted him to share the story about Orren Eatherton. Orren Eatherton had served on the Shelton Fire Department before becoming a night marshal in 1954.
Eatherton died in a vehicle crash around somewhere between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. March 29, 1956, Shawn Eatherton said.
“The investigation revealed that Marshal Eatherton was pursuing a vehicle at the time. He missed the turn on a dead-end road and crashed into a borrow pit,” the web site said. He and his truck were found the next day.
Eatherton had served with the Shelton Police Department for two years. His survivors included his wife, son, mother, two sisters, and two grandsons, according to the web site. Shawn Eatherton said that the vehicle that his great-grandfather was pursuing was never located. The people in the vehicle were never identified.
Shawn Eatherton said his grandfather gave him a watch that belonged to his great-grandfather, Orren Eatherton. He was wearing the 1912 Elgin watch when he died.
“It will always be a part of my family,” Shawn Eatherton said about the watch.
Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller gave an introduction about Willis Daggett.
According to the “Officer Down Memorial Page,” Daggett died from injuries sustained in a vehicle crash earlier in the day while going to Litchfield to serve a warrant on a man who lived near the town.
“He was approaching the bridge over Clear Creek, approximately five miles north of Litchfield, when a dip in the road caused his car to strike the guard rail. The vehicle went through the guard rail and landed in the creek bed 20 feet below,” the web site said.
Despite his injuries, Daggett was able to get out of his car, climb out of the creek and walk to a farm a quarter mile away.
“The farmer’s wife had to go to another farm to call for and ambulance and the sheriff, but Deputy Daggett succumbed to his injuries before their arrival,” the web site said.
Daggett had served with the Buffalo County Sheriff’s Department for nine months. He was survived by his wife and five children.
The ceremony included music by a group with bagpipes and a drum, an honor guard that placed the United States flag and Nebraska flag next to the memorial, and a gun salute. The event lasted approximately 90 minutes.
