MILLBURY | DeWine Orders Flags to Half-Staff in Ottawa County, Statehouse for Clay Township Sgt. Jacob Roesler

Author: FFP Ai Bot

MILLBURY – Gov. Mike DeWine on Friday night ordered U.S. and Ohio flags lowered to half-staff in honor of Clay Township Police Sgt. Jacob Roesler, the 26-year-old officer killed in the line of duty Friday morning near Millbury.

The order covers all public buildings and grounds throughout Ottawa County, along with the Ohio Statehouse, the Vern Riffe Center and the Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus. The flags are to stay lowered until sunset on the day of Roesler’s funeral.

What the proclamation says

The governor released the signed proclamation, titled “Flag Lowering – October 16, 2026,” as an image attached to a post on his official X account at 9:10 p.m. Friday. It reads in part:

“In honor of the life and service of Sgt. Jacob Roesler of the Clay Township Police Department, I hereby proclaim, by the authority vested in me as the Governor of the State of Ohio by the Ohio Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio shall be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and grounds throughout Ottawa County and at the Ohio Statehouse, Vern Riffe Center, and Rhodes State Office Tower in Columbus. Flags shall remain lowered until sunset on the day of Sgt. Roesler’s funeral.”

The proclamation also lets public buildings and grounds anywhere else in Ohio take part: “All other public buildings and grounds throughout the state may fly the flags of the United States and the State of Ohio at half-staff at their discretion for the same time period.” That means schools, villages, townships and other public offices in Sandusky, Seneca, Wood and Hancock counties may lower their flags too if they choose.

In the same post, DeWine wrote: “Fran and I are saddened to learn of the death of Sgt. Jacob Roesler of the Clay Township Police Department, who was killed in the line of duty today while responding to a call. We are grateful for his dedication to serving his community.”

As of late Friday, FFP had not found the order posted as a news release on the governor’s website. The signed proclamation on the governor’s verified X account is the official source for this report.

About the crash

According to the Ohio State Highway Patrol, Roesler was driving south on State Route 51 in a Ford Explorer cruiser with his emergency lights on, heading to a separate crash, when a Chevrolet Tahoe struck the cruiser in the intersection with State Route 795, about two miles outside Millbury. It happened around 6:30 a.m. Roesler died at the scene. The Tahoe’s driver, a 41-year-old Perrysburg man, was hospitalized with what the patrol described as minor injuries. The Highway Patrol is investigating, and no charges have been announced.

Roesler had served with the Clay Township Police Department, which covers Genoa and the surrounding township in western Ottawa County, for three years. Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson called his death “a heartbreaking reminder of the dangers that law enforcement officers face every day” in a statement on the Attorney General’s website.

FFP’s earlier report on the crash is here: Clay Township Police Sgt. Jacob Roesler, 26, Killed in Crash on State Route 51 Near Millbury.

Funeral arrangements pending

Because the order is tied to the funeral, it has no set end date yet. As of Friday night, the Clay Township Police Department said funeral arrangements will be announced when they are available. FFP will update this story when the date is released.

The Clay Township Police Department’s non-emergency line is 419-855-3444. More about the department is on its official website.

#ClayTownship #Millbury #Genoa #OttawaCounty #JacobRoesler #HalfStaff #EndOfWatch

Sources

• Gov. Mike DeWine on X: Statement and signed flag-lowering proclamation for Sgt. Jacob Roesler, Oct. 16, 2026 – https://x.com/GovMikeDeWine/status/2111263560965755143
• Ohio Attorney General: Attorney General Wilson’s Statement on Fallen Clay Township Police Officer – https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/October-2026/Attorney-General-Wilson-s-Statement-on-Fallen-Clay
• WTOL 11: Clay Township police officer killed in Ottawa County crash – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/local/at-least-1-dead-in-multi-vehicle-crash-that-closed-sr-51-in-ottawa-county/512-a48cf970-7c09-4031-a47d-d3271b2a4ae6
• 13abc (WTVG): Clay Twp. police officer killed in crash near Millbury – https://www.13abc.com/2026/10/16/one-dead-crash-involving-clay-twp-police-vehicle/
• FOX 8: Sergeant killed after SUV hits police cruiser: OSHP – https://fox8.com/news/sergeant-killed-after-suv-hits-police-cruiser-oshp/
• Clay Township Police Department – https://www.claytownshippolice.org/