Portage Times

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Gail Pavliga (R-Portage County) announced that Governor DeWine has signed House Bill 380 into law. The bill, approved by the General Assembly last month, designates a portion of State Route 88 in Portage County as the "Patrolman James R. Wert Memorial Highway."

"I am grateful to the Governor for signing this into law and appreciate the help and support of the Wert family and the Ravenna Police Department,” said Pavliga. “It has been almost 43 years since Patrolman James Wert was killed in the line of duty while serving his community. Now his memory will be remembered forever.”

Around midnight on January 31, 1981, Patrolman Wert stopped a suspected drunk driver. After proceeding with the arrest, he pulled off to adjust the arrested party's handcuffs on State Route 88. A struggle ensued, and additional Ravenna police officers arrived to assist Wert. At that time, a second drunk driver went left of center on Route 88 and struck James Wert. Officer Wert was only 25 when he was killed in the line of duty.

Wert was appointed to the Ravenna Police Department on February 1, 1980, after serving in the U.S. Army, where he earned the Army Good Conduct Medal and was an expert marksman at Fort Hood. After being honorably discharged from the Army, he moved back to Ravenna and became a police officer to be close to his family and serve the area where he grew up.

House Bill 380 passed with bipartisan support in both chambers before being signed today by Governor DeWine.