LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Joseph Bellino on Wednesday turned in legislation to honor Hillsdale County Deputy Sheriff William Butler Jr., who was killed in the line of duty in June.
“This is about honoring the life and service of Deputy Butler, who served and protected the people of Hillsdale County for 12 years,” said Bellino, R-Monroe. “Earlier this summer, we tragically lost Deputy Butler, who was fatally shot while bravely assisting another officer during a traffic stop.
“He was an Iraq War veteran, a devoted husband and loving father of five children. This tribute would help ensure his life, service and sacrifice are never forgotten.”
Senate Bill 977 would designate a portion of Highway M-34 in Hillsdale County from Pioneer Road to South Pittsford Road as the “Deputy Sheriff William Butler Jr. Memorial Highway.”
Butler was 51 years old. The last Hillsdale County Sheriff’s deputy to be killed on duty was Undersheriff Harland O. Wood in 1930.
If the bill is signed into law, it will have no fiscal impact on state or local government. State law requires sufficient private contributions to completely cover the cost of erecting and maintaining markers indicating the name of a memorial highway.
###