Family, friends and colleagues gathered Tuesday for a memorial service for a Ventura County Sheriff's deputy hailed as an "incredible man" who was struck and killed in the line of duty by an alleged drunken driver.
Eugene Kostiuchenko, 41, was just wrapping up a traffic stop near the Lewis Road on-ramp on the northbound 101 Freeway in Camarillo at about 1:15 a.m. Oct. 28 when he was fatally struck by a Honda.
The driver involved in the traffic stop was allowed to leave the scene and Kostiuchenko was hit as he walked back to his patrol vehicle.
At the memorial on Tuesday, Kostiuchenko's family said the man whose dream was to become a sheriff's deputy was their "whole life."
"He was the rock, he was our strength, our foundation," Mary Kelly Kostiuchenko said. "He was the center of the circle and we were enriched by his glow."
"He wasn’t simply a good man, there are lots of good men," son Tristan said. "He was an exceptional man."
Colleagues of Deputy Kostiuchenko, survived by his wife and two sons, described him as a "character" and "incredible man" who came to the United States from Ukraine to pursue his passion for law enforcement. He worked for the county's Emergency Preparedness Office.
News
Top news of the day
"You are the most fascinating human being I will ever know," Deputy Patrick Hawthorne said at the memorial. "I love you, I miss you, you will never be forgotten."
Kevin Hogrefe, 25, of Camarillo, was charged with murder and felony hit and run after allegedly leaving the scene of the crash. He pleaded not guilty to second degree murder Oct. 30.
