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July 19, 2008

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Ohio officer remembered for his compassion and wit

Officer Down: Officer Joshua T. Miktarian

Related article: Ohio officer shot, killed in line of duty

By John Caniglia
The Plain Dealer

TWINSBURG, Ohio — In the middle of Twinsburg Officer Joshua Miktarian's funeral, friends remembered a man of humor who played practical jokes on his police chief and cranked his guitar.

Officer Joshua Miktarian's police dog, Bagio, is walked down the center aisle and out of the church during Miktarian's funeral on Friday, July 18. (AP Photo)

More than 4,000 people filled Mt. Zion Church in Oakwood to honor the boy with the bowl haircut, the high school football player who once broke nine tackles during a run and the teenager who wanted to be "the best police officer east of the Mississippi River."

The funeral came five days after Miktarian was gunned down during a traffic stop on Glenwood Drive. The suspect, Ashford Thompson, 23, is being held on a $5 million bond and is expected to be indicted soon on aggravated murder charges.

Friends, family, fellow officers and officers from departments across the state attended the 90-minute service. Miktarian's K-9 partner, Bagio, lay on the carpet in the front row of the sanctuary.

Speakers included Miktarian's best friend, Jason Robinson, Police Chief Chris Noga and Mayor Katherine Procop. They spoke about his strong work ethic and commitment to the city as well as his love for his family.

But they also spoke of his humor, including recalling when he parked the city's heavy traffic trailer, which shows how fast motorists are traveling, on Noga's tree lawn for days. They also spoke of his love for food and how he would arrive for his midnight shift lugging bags of food, including pizza, from his Sagamore Hills Township pizza parlor, Gionino's.

The burial at Crown Hill Cemetery in Twinsburg included bagpipes, taps, a riderless horse and a salute from the mother of a son who died in Iraq.

At the 30-minute service, it was announced Miktarian's badge -number 45 - would be retired.

Although the cememony was closed to the public, officials allowed Linda Dillon, of Edinburg Township in Portage County and her sister, Beverly Nissel of Streetsboro, to stand along a road in the cemetery. Dillon's son, Army Cpl. Benjamin Dillon, 22, was killed in Iraq in October, 2007.

Dillon and Nissel waited for hours for the procession to arrive, which they welcomed by holding large flags.

Dillon said she simply wanted to honor Miktarian.

Copyright 2008 The Plain Dealer

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