Crime & Safety

Officer Coutchie Laid to Rest in Arizona

Laguna Beach Police Officer Jon Coutchie was laid to rest Sunday in Yuma, Ariz., next to his grandfather. 

Yuma police and fire officials hosted a motorcade to honor the fallen Laguna Beach officer, who perished in a Sept. 21 traffic accident on Coast Highway while on duty. A procession of Laguna Beach police officers made the drive from Laguna to Yuma for Coutchie's funeral.

"It was quite the emotional drive,” Laguna Beach Police Captain Darin Lenyi told KYMA News 11, “as fire departments, local police departments and the California Highway Patrol lined portions of the roadway and overpasses as a tribute to our fallen officer.” Watch KYMA's video report here.

Donations are being sought to help defray funeral expenses for Coutchie's family, according to Kimberly Edds of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs, which is collecting money on behalf of the Laguna Beach Police Employees Association. They can be made through the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs Memorial Fund. Checks may be made payable to AOCDS Memorial Fund, 1314 W. Fifth St., Suite A, Santa Ana, CA, 92703. Coutchie should be written in the memo part of the check. Online donations may be made through aocds.org.

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