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Biography
Keith began his community service at an early age attaining the rank of Eagle Scout with Troop 19, Oakwood. He joined the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office in 1979. He served there until 1992 while staying on the Sheriff Reserves, he then joined the Allen County Sheriff’s Office in Fort Wayne. After 25 years, he retired from that department in 2017 where he served as a training officer. He subsequently returned full-time to the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office serving as a Captain and Jail Commander. A career workaholic, he also worked part-time for Parkview Police and Public Safety since 2011 and was an EMT for several years. In his 41 years of law enforcement and more than 47 years of community service, he touched many lives and was a role model for countless citizens. Keith lived in a log cabin on a pond with his wife, Julia, of twenty years where he planted trees and loved to be outdoors. Family was incredibly important to him; he loved his stepdaughters as his own and was close with his siblings. He was a large teddy bear of a man who was quick to say I love you; Keith’s laughter filled a room. He loved horror movies, martial arts, true crime, and Adam-12. An animal lover, he worked to rehabilitate wild raptors and was known to feed stray animals. The word was better with him in it. It had a deafening silence with him gone, and a lot less love.
In Our Keeping
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- August 2, 2026
- Last updated
- August 2, 2026
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Tributes
Officer Keith Leatherman served with the Paulding County Sheriff.
Thank you for your service. We will always remember your sacrifice.
You belong on this wall. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
The Sacrifice · Suicide
Keith is the only officer of Paulding County Sheriff remembered here.
Keith is one of 9 officers lost to suicide in OH, 0.9% of the 993 remembered there.
Keith is one of 190 officers lost to suicide in the United States, 0.7% of the 27,552 remembered there.
Keith is one of 256 officers lost to suicide worldwide, 0.8% of the 34,103 remembered here.
34,103 officers are remembered on this memorial. Each number below is one of them.
Time
In 2020, 2 officers in OH were lost to suicide, more than in any other year.
In 2020, 21 officers in the United States were lost to suicide, the 2nd heaviest of 31 years on record. The heaviest was 2019, with 25.
In 2020, 21 officers worldwide were lost to suicide, the 2nd heaviest of 75 years on record. The heaviest was 2019, with 26.
Who
Keith was 60. Of the 7 lost to suicide in OH whose age is recorded, half were between 38.5 and 55; the middle age was 50.
Keith was 60. Of the 146 lost to suicide in the United States whose age is recorded, half were between 36 and 50; the middle age was 43.
Keith was 60. Of the 209 lost to suicide worldwide whose age is recorded, half were between 35 and 48; the middle age was 42.
When
October holds 22.2% of these deaths in OH, more than any other month. Sundays: 44.4%.
October holds 9.5% of these deaths in the United States; June holds the most, 12.6%. Sundays: 17.4%.
October holds 9.4% of these deaths worldwide; May holds the most, 11.7%. Sundays: 15.2%.
How
Suicide deaths account for 100% of all 1 deaths at Paulding County Sheriff.
Suicide deaths account for 0.9% of all 993 deaths in OH, the 5th most common cause.
Suicide deaths account for 0.7% of all 27,552 deaths in the United States, the 5th most common cause.
Suicide deaths account for 0.8% of all 34,103 deaths worldwide, the 6th most common cause.
Where the Name Is Cut
What is kept
Photographs, film, sound and papers — what survived a life.
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