Ada County Sheriff’s Office announces memorial service plans for fallen deputy
A memorial service has been scheduled for Tobin Bolter, the first Ada County sheriff’s deputy to be killed in the line of duty.
Bolter — who left behind a pregnant wife and a “close-knit family” — died Sunday after being shot during a traffic stop on the Boise Bench on Saturday night. He was 27.
The funeral service is scheduled for 3 p.m. Tuesday at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, with the indoor service being reserved for Bolter’s family, friends and law enforcement, according to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office. Community members who would like to observe can do so from the outdoor amphitheater, and the service also will be live-streamed on the Sheriff’s Office YouTube channel.
“We encourage the community to line the procession route to show support for Deputy Bolter and his family,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, adding that additional details would be released Friday.
The man who authorities said shot Bolter, 65-year-old Dennis Mulqueen, was found by police and killed after he fired a gun at officers late Saturday night, according to the Boise Police Department.
“Tobin’s life has been a reflection of God’s grace,” his family said in a statement. “He was a selfless man of conviction, giving God the glory in all circumstances.” A GoFundMe, created Wednesday, has already raised over $98,000 to support his family.
Bolter joined the Ada County Sheriff’s Office in January after working for the Meridian Police Department, where he spent about 18 months. He’s originally from Walnut Creek, California, which is just outside the Bay Area, and got his start in law enforcement in the neighboring city of Pleasant Hill.
Hundreds of people have attended vigils already to support, remember and celebrate Bolter. Those in attendance have remembered him as a dedicated man of faith who always wanted to work in law enforcement.
“Tobin wanted to spend his life reflecting the perfect light of God,” said Ben Blakey, one of the pastors at Bolter’s church. “That’s what he wanted to be known for, and that’s maybe difficult in an event like this, because so much around his death just feels like darkness.”
That also is how Bolter’s father-in-law has remembered him. The Sheriff’s Office shared a Facebook post from Benjie Wells that referenced his daughter’s June 2018 wedding, which he called one of the most “proud” and “joyous” moments in his life.
“I will grieve the loss of my brother in Christ and true friend, encouraging all who are grieving the loss of Tobin Bolter to first know God and then trust in Him at all times, pouring out your heart before him,” Wells wrote.
