Rick and Dina Chick and their son Derrick Chick of Monmouth read about Henderson County’s new K9 program and knew they wanted to help. Their son, Timothy “Tim” Chick had wanted to be a police officer and a K9 handler from the third grade. Dina told Chief Deputy Matthew Link that Tim would always tell her that when he became a cop, he was going to pull her over. Tim did many ride-alongs with the Monmouth Police Department and decided for sure that he was going to be a police officer. Unfortunately, Tim’s life ended too early on June 13th, 2017, at the age of 24. Tim was studying Criminal Justice at Carl Sandburg College and became sick. After visiting the Mayo Clinic, it was found that Tim had Glioblastoma, a cancerous tumor on his brain. Rick and Dina were told that this tumor was rare among people Tim’s age and his life expectancy would only be a few short months. Tim, however, had other plans. He fought his battle with cancer for 3 and a half years before he passed.
Rick, Dina, and Derrick decided they wanted to donate a bullet proof vest to the K9 program for Montana in memory of Tim. Dina contacted Chief Deputy Link soon after the new program started and spoke with him about the donation. Dina stated her family had been wanting to donate to a local K9 program in memory of Tim and saw Henderson County’s program on Facebook. She immediately told Rick and they decided it was the perfect gift. On Monday, April 18th, 2022, Rick, Dina, and other family members met with Chief Deputy Link, K9 Handler Scott Albin, and Montana at Tim’s memorial headstone in Monmouth. Montana was able to meet Tim’s family and she wore the new vest proudly. On the vest is a special badge across Montana’s chest, close to her heart where Tim’s memory will always be present that says, “In memory of Tim Chick”. The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office is truly grateful to the Tim Chick family for their generous donation.
The Sheriff’s Office has received many other donations from businesses, groups, and citizens and are very grateful for everyone’s generosity. The Sheriff’s Office is still accepting donations for the K9 program and would like to say, “thank you, thank you, thank you!” to everyone who has donated. If we haven’t mentioned your donation publicly, we are respecting your privacy and will not publicize your name, group, or business.
***Report Courtesy of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Department***
