HAMBURG – An escort of law enforcement officers filled Hamburg’s Main Street Wednesday as family friends, classmates and supporters of  a fallen deputy showed their respect.

 

Fire and rescue personnel were stationed along the route and dozens who gathered in town told stories of watching the boy they knew as Melvin grow up in the Hamburg school system, relying on him as Deputy Sheriff Richardson and admiring him as a father.

Matt Schoville said Melvin was among the first people who befriended him after he and his family moved to the area.

 

Schoville: “He was just a big guy. Actually he reminded me of my best friend from Omaha, so we kind of hit it off. We just talked. I asked him the ins and outs of small towns because we weren’t really from here. We lived in Omaha our lives.”

After Schoville and his family were forced to evacuate their home in the flood of 2019, Melvin made himself available to talk to those in crisis and proved to be a dedicated protector of everyone’s property.

Schoville: “Melvin did do a lot. He wore two hats. I mean he basically wore three hats. He was a great father, he really was. He was a good cop and he was a firefighter … I mean, he cared a lot about this community.”

 

Thomas Krisko of Nebraska City said he came to respect Deputy Richardson after a few encounters in his law enforcement role.

 

Krisko: “Just showing support for a fallen law enforcement officer. I had the pleasure of knowing him. Met him a couple of times … Yeah, he was fair. A good guy.”

Deputy Richardson was described as a dedicated deputy and leader of the sheriff’s office’s deputy reserve program.