Monroe County officer's name to be carved on memorial wall

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - A dozen years after his death, a Monroe County Jail sergeant will be honored by having his name carved into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington.

The late Sgt. Bill Brand will join 20,000 federal, state and local law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty whose names are etched into blue-gray marble at Judiciary Square, the Herald-Times (http://bit.ly/2fQF8r0) reported. Brand's family and members of Monroe County Sheriff's Office will attend the annual ceremony during National Police Week in May 2017.

"Finally, he's getting something. He's getting recognized for the service he gave to Monroe County for almost nine years," Stacy Brand said of her late husband.

In February 2005, Brand was driving when fatally shot with a high-powered assault rifle by someone in a passing vehicle.

After her husband's murder, Stacy Brand and her attorney filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the man they suspected of killing the jail officer.

A jury in October 2009 found former Monroe County inmate Benjamin H. Steinberg guilty of murder. A judge also ordered that Steinberg pay $3 million to Brand's widow and toward court costs.

Steinberg is currently serving a 65-year sentence and his earliest possible release date is June 2041.

Stacy Brand and her son also receive state-issued "line of duty" death benefits.

___

Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com