How to give
A memorial fund has been established and fundraisers have been planned to benefit the family of Warren County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Dulle who was killed in the line of duty early Tuesday morning.
A fund has been set up where people can donate at Fifth Third Bank for Dulle’s three children.
Residents may drop off donations at the Turtlecreek Twp. offices on Ohio 123. Trustee Jonathan Sams said those donations will be delivered directly to the Dulle family, who are township residents.
A memorial benefit for Dulle and in honor of his daughter, Madelyn Elizabeth Dulle, and Maddie’s Hope, will be held at 6:30 p.m. June 8 at BD’s Mongolian Grill, 8655 Mason-Montgomery Road in Mason. The benefit will include silent auctions, raffles, and T-shirts. To donate items or more information, contact Katy at lhs95md@gmail.com.
Friends of the family are organizing a benefit for Dulle scheduled for 7 to 11 p.m. June 11 at the Warren County Fairgrounds Barn C, 665 N. Broadway, Lebanon.
MASON — Brian Dulle’s life shouldn’t be judged by its length.
That was what many people have said about the sergeant for the Warren County Sheriff’s Office who died Tuesday in the line of duty.
While Dulle of Turtlecreek Twp. only lived 36 years, the impact he had on his family, friends and co-workers was much more immeasurable, those closest to him said.
That was evident as more than 1,500 people gathered Saturday afternoon at Christ’s Church at Mason to mourn Dulle’s death, and thousands more — many waving American flags, saluting the hearse as it passed and holding handmade “thank you Sgt. Dulle” signs — lined the streets from the church to the Lebanon Cemetery.
Dulle was killed instantly when a 2001 Cadillac — traveling an estimated 100 mph — struck him as he stood in a grassy area near his police cruiser. He had just deployed a set of stop sticks, a device used to deflate tires on the car.
Marcus Anthony Isreal, 22, of Middletown, was indicted Friday by a Warren County grand jury on eight felony charges, including murder and involuntary manslaughter. He is being held on $1 million bond.
The funeral lasted about an hour and included speeches and prayers from William Hounshell, a Warren County Sheriff’s Office chaplain, Dulle’s father, Ed Dulle, and the Rev. Frankie Hunt.
A casket draped with an American flag sat in front of the church with Dulle’s photo nearby. Hundreds of police officers from throughout the state were on hand for the services.
Dulle became the first Warren County deputy killed in the line of duty. He is survived by his wife, Abbie, and children Madelyn, 10, Emma, 7, and Jackson, 4.
Hounshell said he hoped the funeral would “celebrate the life” of Dulle because he “had a way, to make us laugh.”
There was laughter, but many tears too, especially as photos of Dulle and his family flashed on two large screens in the church before the funeral.
Dulle was shown making snow angels, tailgating at a Bengals game, playing on the beach, and lying in the hospital room with Madelyn, as she recuperated from cancer treatments.
He was smiling in about every picture, and in some of them, his smile was so wide, his eyes squint.
To prepare for his eulogy, Warren County Sheriff Larry Sims contacted those in law enforcement, and asked them to relay their favorite memories of Dulle. He warned the mourners that some of the stories may be off-color because those in law enforcement use humor as “a coping mechanism” for what he called the “ugliness and sadness” associated with police work.
He called Dulle “our fallen hero,” and said: “He put his life on the line to protect others and this takes an incredible amount of courage. There is no greater honor than laying your life down for another.”
Dulle’s death, the investigation that followed, and the planning of the funeral, Sims said, have been “one of the most difficult times in our lives.”
Dulle’s father, Ed, walked to the podium, and whispered back at his daughter-in-law, Abbie, “We’ll get through this.”
He said he talked to his son daily and a lot of the conversation centered around his work. Ed Dulle said he loved the crime stories, but in the days since his son’s death, others have relayed stories he wasn’t told.
“He’s been busted,” Ed Dulle said of his son.
While others praised Dulle for his police work, and what appeared to be a bright future in the WCSO, his father referred to him as “a better son, father, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, son-in-law and brother-in-law.”
Brian Dulle was the family’s “go-to-guy,” his father said.
Following the service, Dulle’s family and co-workers remained in the church for another 30 minutes as a helicopter from the Butler County Sheriff’s Office circled overhead.
The 500-vehicle procession stretched for about two miles, and as it traveled the 10-mile route from Mason-Montgomery Road to U.S. 42 to North Broadway in Lebanon, those who stood along the roads, waved flags and held signs that thanked Dulle for his military and police service. The crowd included youth baseball, softball and soccer players who held umbrellas in one hand, flags in the other.
Others, some sitting in wheelchairs or in the back of pickup trucks, held their hands over their hearts.
At the burial, military and police honors were given to Dulle, including the traditional 21-gun salute, American flag presentation and riderless horse ceremonies. Dulle was an Army veteran.
Pall bearers removed Dulle’s casket from a hearse and placed it onto a caisson, a two-wheeled cart that has been used for burials of police and military personnel.
Ashley McClain of Turtlecreek Twp. brought her two daughters, 2 and 7, to watch outside the cemetery.
“I wanted to show them the sacrifices law enforcement make and hopefully they can learn something from this experience,” McClain said.
Trish Hammiel of Lebanon stood outside the cemetery for more than three hours to watch Dulle’s casket arrive.
“This is history in the making. I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.
A solemn final call for Dulle — officer No. 822 — aired across police scanners around 3:20 p.m. The male voice honored Dulle for his “service to the Warren County Sheriff’s Office.”
Staff writer Kareem Elgazzar contributed to this report.
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