2 Riverside County Deputies Who Died While Serving: Commemoration Set

HEMET, CA — Two Riverside County sheriff's deputies who lost their lives while serving will be commemorated next month at Diamond Valley Lake Community Park in Hemet.

The names of deputies Brett Harris and Michael Haugen will be added to the Officer Lesley Zerebny First Responders Memorial Wall during a 3 p.m. May 17 ceremony at the park. The wall commemorates first responders killed on duty and who were born, lived or served in the Valley-Wide Recreation and Park District service area, which includes Hemet, San Jacinto, Winchester, French Valley, Aguanga and a portion of Menifee, according to the district.

On May 12, 2023, Harris was involved in an on-duty crash in San Jacinto. He suffered major injuries, including "a catastrophic brain injury," according to the sheriff's department. He died a day later at just 27 years old.

Harris began his service with the sheriff's department on July 2, 2019. He was assigned to the Cois Byrd Detention Center in French Valley before transferring to the Hemet Sheriff's Station in January 2022.

"Brett loved the career he chose and had such admiration for the people he served next to every day," the sheriff's department reported. "He had made many plans for his future in law enforcement."

Harris was an organ donor so he saved an untold number of transplant patients, according to the sheriff's department.

Harris is survived by his wife, mother, father, sister and brother.

Deputy Michael Haugen's on-duty death took place more than 25 years earlier. In the pre-dawn hours of Jan. 5, 1997, he and his partner, Deputy James Lehmann, Jr., were dispatched to a domestic violence incident east of Cabazon.

As they walked in the darkness toward a mobile home, they were gunned down without warning by the victim's husband who was lying in wait.

Both deputies were killed instantly.

The suspect was arrested and later convicted on capital murder charges. In 2013, he died on death row at the age of 53.

Haugen was just 33 at the time of the slaying. He left behind a wife, son, daughter and many friends.

Haugen became a deputy sheriff in 1991 as a lateral hire from the Hermosa Beach Police Department. He worked at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside before transferring to the Banning Sheriff's Station.

According to the sheriff's department, Haugen "was a hardworking, caring person, devoted to his family and his chosen profession. He loved to fly and soar with eagles."

The namesake of the Officer Lesley Zerebny First Responders Memorial Wall has a tragic backstory too. The Palm Springs police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty on Oct. 8, 2016, while responding to a domestic disturbance call.

Zerebny and her partner, Officer Jose Gilbert Vega, were called to a home. A man inside the residence opened fire on them, killing both and wounding a third officer.

In May 2019, the suspect was convicted on two counts of capital murder.

Zerebny, 27, had served with the Palm Springs Police Department for 18 months. She is survived by her husband, who also serves in law enforcement, and their child, who was 4 months old at the time of the slayings.

The Officer Lesley Zerebny First Responders Memorial Wall was dedicated on Oct. 14, 2022. A plaque bearing Zerebny’s name will be added to the wall during next month's ceremony, which is open to the public and free to attend.

The Diamond Valley Lake Community Park is located at 1806 Angler Avenue in Hemet.