Former Porter County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Ross John Krieger has had his name added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. nearly 80 years after he died in the line of duty. A collection of current civil servants worked together to make his story known.
Cpl. Justin Reeder of the Porter County Sheriff’s Office was researching former Porter County Sheriff William B. Forney, who survived a shot to the head while breaking up a bootlegging ring 100 years ago, when he came across an article mentioning Krieger’s death.
On Aug. 26, 1944, Krieger assisted the Valparaiso Police Department in the arrest of multiple defendants but collapsed and died shortly after taking them to the Porter County Jail. He was 55 at the time of his death and running as the Republican candidate for Porter County Sheriff in the election that November.
With the help of Kevin Nevers, public affairs liaison for the town of Chesterton; Porter County Clerk Jessica Bailey; and Porter County Deputy Coroner Doris Amling, Reeder was able to research and compile the necessary documents to nominate Krieger for the posthumous honor.
“He was happy to hear that I have complete access to the Tribune archives,” Nevers said of Reeder. Nevers was a reporter for The Chesterton Tribune for nearly 24 years.
He did some research in the paper’s archives and forwarded an article and picture to Reeder. Amling, working with the help of the Porter County Health Department, was able to provide Reeder with Krieger’s death certificate. “It was, I guess, a group effort,” she said.
Bailey, whose office opened an archiving department just two years ago at the county’s North Annex in Portage, also received a call for help from Reeder. “He was overjoyed at all the things we were able to find,” Bailey said. “I was glad we were able to work with the sheriff’s department.”
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
