A social media posting by the Chillicothe Police Department announcing the death of one of their own has turned out to be not true.
On Friday, the police department posted on Facebook that longtime officer Reggie Netter had died. Netter served on the force for 20 years as a full-time office before retiring and becoming a reserve officer in 2020.
Netter is hospitalized with COVID, which has resulted in serious health conditions from underlying medical issues, a family friend said.
The posting was posted on Friday on the department’s official Facebook page at around 4:30 p.m. on Friday:
“It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we announce retired officer Reggie Netter passed away today,” the posting read. “Reggie was truly a special, one of a kind person whose smile brightened every room he entered. Prayers to his family and friends.”
People around the community started to post their memories of Netter on social media, who is known for his smile and personality.
“RIP Reggie. You were one of a kind and will be missed by many,” wrote former Chillicothe councilman Joel Fleurima.
Community member Lisa Dennewitz shared about a time Netter impacted her life.
“This literally broke my heart. When I was going through a troubling time, he was not only a member of the law but a dear friend to my daughter and me and my sister. I will never forget his kindness, protection, and advice.”
However, at around 10 p.m. on Friday, the police department posted an update on their page, which said that Netter was, in fact, alive.
“Earlier today, we received information that retried Officer Reggie Netter had passed away. However, we recently learned that information was not correct,” the posting said.
An email sent to the police chief by the Guardian Friday evening seeking additional information was not immediately returned.
Netter made headlines when he was fired in March 2018 for an incident where he struck an inmate who called him a racial slur and other names during a heated exchange. An arbitrator’s report ruled the city should have instead suspended Netter for 15 days, saying there was a lack of progressive discipline and evidence of disparate treatment. The city was forced to re-hire him and give him full backpay.