Officer Scott Anthony Flahive

Scott Anthony Flahive

Officer Scott Flahive was shot and killed after he had stopped a vehicle driving without lights at Beacon Boulevard near Park Avenue.

The vehicle had been chased into the city limits after two inmates escaped from the Ottawa County Jail. As Officer Flahive approached the car, one of the escapees, who was lying in the back seat, shot through the rear window with a 30-06 rifle, striking Officer Flahive. He was transported to North Ottawa Community Hospital, where he succumbed to his wounds.

The suspects were apprehended immediately, less than 30 minutes after escaping jail. The shooter had planned on dying in a hail of bullets if he was stopped, but responding officers were able to prevent that from happening. He was sentenced to multiple life sentences. The two accomplices were sentenced to 10 and 15 years.

Officer Flahive had served with the Grand Haven Department of Public Safety for four years. He was survived by his parents and sister, who became a law enforcement officer in Nevada.

In December 2019, a section of US 31 was renamed "Officer Scott Flahive Memorial Highway" in his honor. The Scott A. Flahive Memorial Scholarship Fund offers educational assistance to local students pursuing careers in the fields of law enforcement and/or criminal justice. In 1994, the city dedicated the Scott Flahive Memorial Park.