Marion Technical College has dedicated a new law-enforcement training center in honor of fallen Morrow County Deputy D. Weston Sherrer, according to a Marion Technical College release published by Marion County Now on Oct. 30. Sherrer’s family helped unveil the center at Marion Tech Downtown, 107 N. Main St., where law enforcement officers and police academy cadets joined them for an Oct. 14 ribbon cutting.
Deputy Sherrer died on May 26, 2025, while responding to a domestic violence call, the college said in its release. His father, Dan Sherrer, said in the release that his son had wanted to serve since he was five years old and had followed that dream into law enforcement, and that the family knew it had to honor his legacy.
After Sherrer’s death, individuals and businesses from Morrow County and around the state donated in his memory, the release said. Academy commander Greg Perry, a Marion County sheriff’s deputy, said in the release that the bulk of the donations came in as $5 or $10 gifts from people in Morrow County who did not have much to give but wanted to help the family.
The college said $22,413.23 donated for the training center will fund renovations, including showers and other equipment cadets need as they train and meet physical fitness standards. Funds raised earlier in memory of Marion County Deputy Brandy Winfield paid for mats and training equipment for cadets, according to the release.
The Sherrer family also directed $54,778 of the donated funds to a scholarship for an academy student in Weston’s memory, with priority given to an applicant from Morrow County, the college said. The Marion Tech Foundation matched the scholarship effort with an additional $10,000, and pancake breakfasts and poker runs were among the fundraisers that contributed.
The dedication date carried a second meaning for Marion County law enforcement: the ceremony fell on the 22nd anniversary of the death of Deputy Brandy Winfield, who also died in the line of duty. Perry said in the release that students and the agencies training at Marion Tech will know and remember both deputies, and that their legacies will touch others for years to come.
Marion Tech President Ryan McCall said in the release that the community showed up for the Sherrer family the way Deputy Sherrer showed up when it mattered most. The college said donations to the training center and the scholarship fund remain open through mtc.edu, so the center that now carries Sherrer’s name will keep preparing future officers in the community he served.
Photo: JBTHEMILKER, CC BY-SA 4.0