Duty Death: Jerry Critchelow - [Ohio County]
End of Service: 20/04/2022
By Suzie Ziegler
OHIO COUNTY, Ky. —Deputy Jerry Critchelow of the Ohio County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky died in the line of duty last week.
Critchelow began experiencing symptoms of a heart attack while directing traffic outside a local high school, the Messenger-Inquirer reported. Critchelow drove himself to the hospital and died five days later on April 20, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
Critchelow worked as a school resource officer and loved his job, said Alex Embry, the principal at Ohio County High School.
“He’s been a staple at the high school my whole career,” Embry told the Messenger-Inquirer. “Officer Critchelow was a lot to a lot of people. He played a lot of different roles. He was a retired trooper and was here working because he loved the kids. You can see that based on the impact he made to so many people.”
Critchelow was a 41-year law enforcement veteran, according to the report. He is survived by his wife, daughters and granddaughters.