Medal of Valor Given to Deputy’s Widow

Making up for a perceived snub, a local law enforcement association awarded a posthumous Medal of Valor to the family of slain Sheriff’s Deputy Peter J. Aguirre Jr.

In a quiet ceremony in the office of Sheriff Larry Carpenter, members of the Peace Officers Assn. of Ventura County awarded Aguirre’s widow Dina a plaque along with the Medal of Valor and a second medal that the family had returned to the organization a year ago in protest.

Association Vice President Jerry Beck said the organization had initially failed to choose Aguirre for the valor medal because it did not know all the details surrounding his death.

Aguirre, a 26-year-old rookie deputy, was shot and killed July 17, 1996, after responding to a domestic disturbance call at a Meiners Oaks residence.

Aguirre’s killer, Michael Raymond Johnson, was recently sentenced to death for shooting the deputy when he stepped inside the home. Johnson shot three times before the deputy could even draw his weapon. The last shot was at close range and into the deputy’s head.

Last year, the officers association decided against giving Aguirre a Medal of Valor and instead awarded him the Distinguished Service Award, which was first created to honor Aguirre.

The decision so upset Aguirre family members that they returned the medal. It also angered Carpenter, who said at the the time he felt Aguirre’s sacrifice went unnoticed. Carpenter created a Sheriff’s Star of Valor and awarded it to Aguirre’s family during a ceremony last year.

Association members apologized to the family, explaining that their decision was not a meant as a slight. When all the facts were known, the group determined that Aguirre risked his life by placing himself between Johnson and his estranged wife.

The association’s 25th annual awards dinner is scheduled for Saturday. The ceremony will honor 19 law enforcement officers and five civilians, Beck said.