Wife Of Fallen Sacramento County Deputy Pleads For Return Of Memorial Bench
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The wife of a fallen sheriff's deputy is speaking out after his memorial bench was stolen.
The bench was dedicated to the memory of Sacramento County Sheriff's deputy Jeff Mitchell who was killed in the line of duty back in 2006.
Crystal Mitchell says the bench isn't worth much in terms of monetary value, but its personal and sentimental meaning is priceless to her husband's family, friends and fellow officers.
"The irony of this is that it's very serene and it's very peaceful out here, I kind of feel 'one' out here with Jeff," she said.
The memorial along a rural road south of Jackson Highway is a place where she has found some peace. It's also where her husband was gunned down more than eight years ago.
"Coming out here, it was pretty important to me to have a place to sit down and just have some time to just reflect," she said.
Jeff Mitchell was killed during a traffic stop, found shot in the head by his own gun after a violent struggle. His murder is still unsolved.
In 2007, a bench Crystal had made was placed at the scene with a plaque dedicated to her late husband.
"To have something malicious or evil happen to Jeff's memory or something dedicated to him..that did bring back a lot of hurt and pain, especially because his birthday was yesterday. He would have turned 47," she said.
Now she says the stolen bench may be one small blessing in disguise—the chance to keep his story alive.
"If there's a small or slight chance that anything I say or any recognition can come out of this will help bring some finality to Jeff's murder than it's worth it to me," she said.
