Hundreds throughout the county gathered to watch the televised funeral services and see the funeral procession for Clermont County Sheriff’s Office Det. William Brewer Jr., who was shot and killed during a standoff on Feb. 2, 2019.

Dozens met up at Batavia Township Community Center at 1535 Clough Pike to view the services, and afterwards, they moved outside, standing in subzero temperature for more than an hour, to honor Brewer and his family as the procession drove past.

“We thank you all for coming,” Randy Perry, township trustee said. “Bill served the township as a deputy, and he’ll be greatly missed, but continue to remember the family in your prayers, not only today, but going forward.”

Among those in attendance were students from Rainbow Child Care Center of Amelia; Brewer had previously visited many of the students’ schools.

Melissa Ramey, of Batavia Twp, accompanied the students to the event, and she explained why it was important for them to attend.

“They’ve just been asking a lot of questions, and as a parent, it’s hard,” she said. “They knew him personally, sat down and had lunch with him, and spent time with him, so they know of him, and they just wanted to pay respects.”

She added, “We made a sign to hang on the fence, so that everybody in his family could see.”

Friends Eileen Plettner, of Union Township, and Kristin Nahirniak, of Batavia Township, attended the event together, along with their children.

“I’m here today because I feel like we need to show our respect, and to honor a man who took a selfless oath to protect and serve the community,” Plettner said. “I didn’t know him personally, but it was definitely something that I felt like my children needed to be here to witness this honor of someone who was unfortunately involved in a tragedy; that he was basically trying to help somebody.”

Nahirniak felt moved to share the experience with others, rather than stay at home.

“I have just been amazed at the support of the community all week,” she said. “I just want to be a part of that, in even this tiny, small way that we can show our support; show our kids how we can respect and honor those that protect us everyday.”

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By Megan Alley

Sun Reporter