Funeral For Deputy Killed On Thanksgiving Set For Tuesday

OAKLAND COUNTY, MI — The funeral for Oakland County Sheriff's Deputy Eric Overall will be Tuesday at 11 a.m. at Mt. Zion Church in Independence Township. Doors at the the church, which is located at 4900 Maybee Road, will open at 9:30 a.m.

Overall, a 22-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, was killed early Thanksgiving morning while attempting to stop a police pursuit. Christopher Joseph Berak, of Macomb Township, was arraigned Saturday at 52-3 District Court in Rochester Hills on first degree premeditated homicide and murder in connection with Overall’s death.

Hundreds of people gathered Sunday in Ortonville to pay tribute to Overall. Blue ribbons were tied to many lampposts around town. Overall’s widow, Sonja, spoke to the crowd.

"This is mind blowing, to say the least, to see the outpouring of love and support from the sheriff and department," she said, according to a WDIV-TV report. "It’s been a Godsend."

Sonja Overall said her husband enjoyed working as a school liaison officer. "He did what he did out of the kindness of his heart, not for recognition," she said.

Overall, 50, had placed stop sticks at the intersection of M-15 and Seymour Lake Road in Brandon Township when Berak allegedly struck him, according to a Sheriff's Office news release. The Oakland County Medical Examiner ruled Overall's death a homicide and that he died of blunt force trauma, reports said.

Overall was struck at about 12:30 a.m. Thursday morning. The pursuit went westbound on I-69 from the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer to southbound M-15 and then entered Oakland County into Brandon Township, reports said. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said Overall was well off the roadway and that the suspect hit him on purpose.

Since Overall’s death, more than $56,000 has been raised for his family via a GoFundMe campaign. A goal of $100,000 has been set.

File photo