Jennifer Pickett with retired K9 Brik
2 ND ANNUAL DEPUTY PICKETT REMEMBRANCE DAY RETURNS MARCH 7 AT THE BOONE COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS Writer / Josh Brown Photography Provided by Remember this Photography & Snapshots by Sally Jane
March 2, 2018, is a day that will forever be remembered by Jennifer Pickett and all of Boone County. What started out as a routine arrest warrant being served by Lebanon Police officers, turned into a high-speed chase through the small town. The pursuit tragically ended with the death of Boone County Deputy Jacob Pickett, marking the first time in the department’s history that a deputy was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Today, Jennifer is encouraging people to Respond Like Jake. That’s the mantra, the hashtag for the Jacob Pickett Response Organization, and it is a fitting one to honor the memory of the late Boone County Deputy. That challenge is one that Jennifer chose when she officially created the organization earlier this year because, she says, it embodies who her husband was. “Jake always helped out wherever he could,” Jennifer says. “I’ve had friends describe him as someone who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. My mom could call him and he’d go and 26 / CARMEL MAGAZINE / MARCH 2020 / atCarmel.com
change her tire. One time, my dad fell off a ladder and had to go to the ER. I was unavailable, but Jake was there with him for hours and helped him get home. He was always picking dogs up off the side of the road and bringing them home, too, regardless of how many we already had. “He was selfless,” she adds. “He was a protector who loved deeply and cared about the people in his life and would support them in any way that he could. As husband and wife, we were a team. We made decisions and faced the world together. He was someone I could count on.”
