Flags at half-staff for slain deputy

Staff and Wire

To honor Gallatin County Sheriff’s Deputy Jake Allmendinger, who was killed in the line of duty Saturday, Gov. Steve Bullock ordered flags in Montana be flown at half-staff today.

Allmender and another deputy were responding to a report of a stranded motorist on Fairy Lake Road in the Bridger Mountain Range Saturday when their patrol Chevrolet Tahoe began to slide backward on ice as they drove up an incline looking for the motorist, the Officer Down Memorial webpage said.

Allmender left the vehicle as it slid but became trapped under it.

He had served as a deputy with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office for two years. He had previously served a dispatcher and was a search and rescue volunteer for more than eight years. He is survived by his wife, three children and parents.

“Deputy Allmendinger was a devoted father and husband, a brave first responder and a selfless public servant who gave his life in service to another,” Bullock wrote in his proclamation. “Montana’s law enforcement officers and Montanans all across the state mourn the loss of a fallen brother but we will never forget the ultimate sacrifice he made to our state. The thoughts and prayers of my family and administration and our state are with the family, friends and colleagues of Deputy Allmendinger.”