HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The funeral for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s deputy killed last week by a construction worker was held Monday.
Family, fellow law enforcement and the community turned out to pay respects to Deputy Michael Hartwick Monday at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz.
What You Need To Know
- Funeral for deputy Michael Hartwick took place Monday
- Deputy Hartwick was killed last week when he was struck by a front-end loader being driven by a construction worker
- Deputy Hartwick was a 19-year veteran of the sheriff's office
Pinellas Sheriff Bob Gualtieri offered opening and closing remarks. In between, Idlewild Baptist Church Pastor ken Whitten gave a welcoming prayer, family and friends gave remembrances and Lt. Freddie Grace gave a stirring version of Amazing Grace.
The funeral was followed by a 21-gun salute and a fly over.
Deputy Hartwick, 51, was killed when he was struck by a front-end loader being driven by a construction worker on Sept. 22 along the I-275 construction site area near the Howard Frankland Bridge.
The individual allegedly involved was later identified as a 32-year-old undocumented immigrant named Juan Ariel Molina-Salles.
Gualtieri said that Molina-Salles had entered the country illegally in October of 2021 in Eagle Pass, Texas, was caught at border and sent back to Mexico, and came back through the Texas border, and has been in the Bay area since March of this year.
Molina-Salles is facing a second-degree felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident with death.
Hartwick, a 19-year veteran of the agency, is survived by his mother and two adult sons.
Family donations are being accepted by the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office.
There’s also a website where you can leave messages to the Hartwick family.