Officer fundraiser brings in more than $13,000

MONTROSE — The organizers of Saturday’s benefit for a fallen Montrose Police officer and his two wounded brethren expected community support.

They just didn’t expect so much — more than $13,000 was raised to benefit the family of Sgt. David Kinterknecht, who died July 25 in the line of duty.

The money raised is also intended to help Officers Larry Witte and Rodney Ragsdale, who were wounded in the same incident, a domestic violence call. The man who shot the officers, Dennis Gurney, committed suicide.

Witte has returned to light duty, Montrose Police Cmdr. Gene Lillard said. Ragsdale continues recovery at home.

“It’s unbelievable, the amount of turnout we had,” Elks Treasurer Paul Moore said of the fundraiser.

From Saturday afternoon on, the Montrose Elks Lodge was full to the gills of people attending a pasta dinner and silent auction.

In the weeks preceding the fundraiser, a 100 or so advance tickets were sold, Moore said, but organizers publicized the fact that tickets would also be sold at the door. They’d hoped for maybe about 400 attendees. Instead, the event drew about 1,000 and some attendees paid far more than the dinner price.

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