A fallen Pottawattamie County Sheriff's deputy was honored Saturday by fellow officers and the Council Bluffs community.
Deputy Mark Burbridge was shot and killed in the line of duty on May 1, 2017. An inmate at the Pottawattamie County Correctional Facility overpowered Burbridge and another deputy before escaping in a transport vehicle. Both deputies were shot. Burbridge was killed.
Hundreds of people showed up Saturday for the dedication ceremony for a Horses of Honor statue in his memory. Sergeant Jason Lemaster worked with Burbridge and was a close friend.
"I think he would be humbled by it. Mark had a great attitude. He was always cracking jokes at someone else’s expense for a laugh. I've been the butt of those jokes many times. So there are a lot of hidden meanings on the artwork as well, so there are only a few close family and friends who will be able to see what’s drawn on there and know what it means,” said Lemaster.
The color blue reflected Burbridge's love for his blue 1969 Ford Pickup. Mark's family was not at the public ceremony. They had a private showing Saturday morning.