Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, Ohio
End of Watch: Friday, December 9, 1983
Age: 37
Tour of Duty: 2 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Aircraft accident
Date of Incident: December 9, 1983
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Deputy Sheriff Bruce Mettler, Sergeant Robert Rigoni of the Port Clinton Police Department, 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.
Deputy Mettler was a U.S. Army veteran and served with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office for two years. He was survived by his wife, two daughters, two sons, a stepson, mother, sister, and brother.