Fort Wayne police say a 65-year-old Warren woman missing since Monday night has been found safely.Chris McKeand remembers bantering with his buddy Jeff Shaw on Thursday at the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department.
He doesn’t even recall what they talked about.
"Nothing of significance," the sheriff’s department lieutenant said.
McKeand said he loved to razz Shaw, and the 40-year-old deputy always appreciated the back-and-forth.
And before McKeand knew it, Shaw was gone, called off to check on children playing too close to Indiana 14.
He was heading back to the sheriff’s department about 2:45 p.m. – driving west on Indiana 14 near Kosciusko County Road 100 East – when an oncoming flatbed truck loaded with scaffolding swerved into his lane and struck his police cruiser on the driver’s side.
Sgt. Jeffery B. Shaw, father of two small children and guardian of the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department’s second shift and its six deputies, was taken to the hospital, where he died.
Shaw’s death, the first in the line of duty for the sheriff’s department in 15 years, left his co-workers at a loss Friday, Sheriff Rocky Goshert said.
Police are investigating the crash, but it appears to be nothing more and nothing less than a horrible accident, Goshert said.
Indiana State Police troopers and officers from Warsaw, Milford and other departments handled most of the sheriff’s department’s shifts Friday, giving deputies time to mourn their friend.
The department brought in counselors from the Fraternal Order of Police and the state police so Shaw’s co-workers could have an outlet to deal with his death and keep them from "bottling it up," Goshert said.
McKeand was Shaw’s boss and friend – the two first met in 1995 when McKeand was an intern at the jail.
The first priority for Shaw, a 15-year sheriff’s department veteran, was his family – his wife, Angela, 9-year-old son, Nicholas, and 7-year-old daughter, Isabella. McKeand said he took them to school every morning and spent as much time as he could with them.
"For that man, those kids walked on water," he said.
But after his family came the guys who worked the roads on second shift at the sheriff’s department. They were a band of brothers, McKeand said.
And Shaw was their leader – protecting them from complaints from above and guiding and shaping the rookies into well-rounded police officers.
Goshert said his sergeant was an easygoing, reliable officer. He never complained and always did his best to help in any way he could.
"It’s going to be a huge loss for our department," he said.
The viewing for Shaw will be from 1 to 8 p.m. Monday at Warsaw Community Church at 2300 S. County Farm Road in Warsaw. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church.
Mourners can visit an impromptu memorial outside the sheriff’s department at 221 W. Main St. in Warsaw.
