Port Clinton Police Department, Ohio
End of Watch: Friday, December 9, 1983
Age:
Tour of Duty: 9 years
Badge Number: 5
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: December 9, 1983
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Sergeant Robert Rigoni, Deputy Sheriff Bruce Mettler of the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, and Dispatcher Michael Sweeney of the Put-in-Bay Police Department were killed when the plane they were riding in crashed into Lake Erie.
The officers were traveling to assist a police chief on a neighboring island who was suffering a heart attack. All four occupants of the plane were killed in the accident.
Sergeant Rigoni was a United States Navy veteran and had served with the Port Clinton Police Department for nine years. He was survived by his wife and two sons.