Sheriff wants to honor deputy who died in 1908

MUSKEGON, Mich. — No one disputes that more than 100 years ago, Muskegon County sheriff's Deputy Joseph C. Hazeltine died mysteriously on White Lake.

But what hasn't been recognized — neither locally or nationally — is that Hazeltine died in the line of duty, working as a "special deputy" at the time, while trying to catch fishermen netting in the lake illegally, said Muskegon County Sheriff Dean Roesler.

Now Roesler is trying to get Hazeltine's name on "The Protectors" monument in front of the Michael E. Kobza Hall of Justice building. The names of fallen officers are chiseled on a wall next to the monument. Roesler would also like Hazeltine's name to be added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial as well.

"It's the right thing to do. Clearly he was acting as a sheriff deputy that night. In whatever manner he met his death, it still should be recognized as a line-of-duty death," Roesler said.

But it won't be so easy, Roesler said. He has to present specific criteria to national officials to get Hazeltine, who was 45 when he died, considered for the honors.

"The challenge is that Hazeltine was classified as a "special deputy," which means he wasn't a full-time law enforcement person (which is part of the requirement for the honors)," Roesler said. "He worked at the Whitehall Tannery where most of the men of that era worked."

However, Hazeltine technically filled in for the full-time sheriff at that time, Roesler said.

"The sheriff would appoint a number of special deputies around the county because the sheriff's full-time force was very small, and it would take several hours for a regular deputy to reach certain part(s) of the county on horseback," he said.

"Special deputies were utilized — or hometown deputies — to deal with a situation until a regular deputy could arrive to the scene."

Hazeltine and the deaths of two game wardens he was with when he met his death has always been classified as an accidental drowning, historical newspaper reports indicate.

The county coroner at the time stated that the men "came to their death from drowning in White Lake ... while endeavoring to secure nets placed in said lake, contrary to law and apprehend party or parties placing said nets, and in trying to perform said duty were drowned in an unknown and mysterious manner."

The incident took place on Nov. 15, 1908 when two area game wardens, Deputy Julius Salmonson and his brother, Martin Salmonson, and Hazeltine attempted to apprehend a group of fishermen netting fish illegally.