Ohio Officer Recovering From Knee Injury Dies

Police officers from throughout Northeast Ohio gathered on a frigid morning Wednesday to honor Stow police officer Jonathan V. Bastock.

Bastock, 47, died Saturday while recuperating at home from a work-related injury. The cause of death is being investigated.

Bastock was on a traffic stop Jan. 6 when he fell, injuring his knee. He was recovering from surgery when he died.

Stow Chief Louis A. Dirker stood in sub-zero wind chills outside Holy Family Catholic Church and remembered Bastock as a superb policeman, but was quick to honor Bastock's humor and compassion.

"Along with his great sense of humor, I don't want to say this was all work and no play with him," Dirker said. "He really enjoyed what he did, he really considered [police work] an avocation."

Dirker said Bastock was known for his ability to investigate traffic accidents.

"He was one of the co-founders of the Summit County crash team which goes around investigating fatal and personal-injury crashes throughout the county," he said. "They reconstruct the scene for other police departments. He was one of those guys whose knowledge of police work and techniques was encyclopedic."

Bastock also helped found Summit County's Child Abduction Response Team.

His supervisor, Lt. Michael A. Titus, said Bastock became a full-time officer in 1998 after serving five years on the department's reserve force.

"He was just a great guy; a great human being," Titus said. "He represented the department so well. . . . He was just a guy who would volunteer for major projects. It's just a huge loss for us."

Dirker said neighboring departments were quick to provide backup protection in the city as the entire department attended the funeral.

He also singled out Cleveland police for their help.

"They provide their expertise in line-of-duty deaths and planning these police funerals, which can get out of control if you don't plan these things."

A portion of Stow Road was closed following the funeral as the procession moved to Silver Springs Cemetery for burial.

Stow Sgt. Bryan Snavely also was lavish in his praise of Bastock's professional acumen and personal wit.

"He was a great guy, very knowledgeable," he said. "He always knew what he was doing and was a great resource. He just was a great worker. . . . He will be greatly missed with what he did for the department and just personally was just a great officer and great friend."

Bastock is survived by his wife of 23 years, Donna; children, Justin, Evan and Jillian; mother, Donna Bastock; brother, David Bastock and his wife, Julie, and their son, Noah, and his mother-in-law, Marilyn Beteau.

A scholarship fund to benefit Bastock's children has been set up at KeyBank.

The family asked that media representatives not attend the services.

McClatchy-Tribune News Service