Deputy Sheriff Robert Paul Rumfelt

I still think about that night all the time. I remember wondering why you stopped at the top of that hill, and watching your car go over the bank. I remember seeing you not breathing and taking off my gear to fit in your window. I remember holding your C-spine, still thinking you might make it and how pissed you’d be about fire cutting off your jumpsuit. And I remember watching the medical flight turn around and fly away, knowing they were canceled and what that meant. But I also remember that you were a badass. I remember that you won your last fight against a high/drunk POS while keeping the baby in his arms safe. And I remember you laughing and talking when it was over, before we got in our cars. I’d say RIP, but that isn’t your style, to rest. How about ‘sail on’ instead? Miss you, brother.

Sgt. Joe Eastham
Novato California P.D. (former Lakeport P.D.)

November 15, 2022