LCSO unveils new memorial to fallen deputies in Lakes Park

On Thursday morning, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office unveiled a memorial for fallen deputies at Lakes Park.

The memorial honors 11 deputies killed in the line of duty. It features their names and three bronze statues.

Natalie Diaz and her young daughter Talia were at the unveiling ceremony The last name listed on the memorial pillar belongs to her husband William Diaz, who died in the line of duty in 2021.

“When you walk up, and you see someone’s name on that wall, you really stop to think about it,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno.

Ronnie Lee Fewel is near the top of the list of names on the memorial. His brother Donnie vividly remembers the deputy’s death 40 years ago.

“To me, it’s like it was yesterday,” Donnie Fewel said.

“When you look at the statue, it’s completely different and makes you stop and say, ‘Oh my God, you know, that’s a name, and that’s a person that the statues really capture,'” Marceno said.

Marceno felt plaques on a wall wouldn’t cut it for the deputies’ memorial.

“You don’t want to just be a name on the stump,” Fewel said.

“I hope that they take the time to come here, even if they don’t know one name on the wall,” Marceno said. “But they take time to know about the people and appreciate the people that paid that ultimate sacrifice”

Fewel sees it as a way for his brother and many others to live on.

“This will be here for a long time,” Fewel said. “People can walk by, and they may see the name; maybe they’ll take time out of their day to figure out: Who was he?”

The deputies present at Thursday’s ceremony say they don’t want to see another name added again.