RIP Humane Officer Jerry McCarthy
In 2011, I met Detective/Humane Officer Jerry McCarthy when he responded to my family’s complaints about animal abuse occurring at a house next to one of my father’s rental properties. He was truly compassionate and worked for several weeks to secure the safety of four adult dogs and two puppies who were tied up outside by the neck, neglected, and starving. I’ve kept pictures of one of the dogs in particular because my father adopted her and named her Ruby Red.
Without Officer McCarthy’s efforts, this girl surely would have died (in the “starving” photos, she was still nursing puppies!).
I kept in touch with Officer McCarthy after the rescue. He had his hands full working on cases involving everything from starved, abused horses to dog fighting rings. Like many other municipalities, Lawrence County is working on a tight budget, but the County is fortunate enough to have leadership that takes animal abuse and rescue seriously. And the County has been extremely fortunate to have had Jerry, if only for a short time.
Last week, Officer McCarthy was a passenger in a patrol car being driven by another police officer. A car driven by an unlicensed driver struck the patrol car on the passenger side, killing Officer McCarthy. We lost one of the best, and I’ll think about him every time I look at our Ruby Red.
Funeral of Fallen Shenango Twp. Police Office William J. Jerry McCarthy IV from WCN 24/7 on VIMEO on Vimeo.
I can only imagine the greeting that Jerry received at the end of the rainbow bridge.
Officer McCarthy ‘s family is asking that memorial contributions be made to the Lawrence County Humane Society.
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