OTTAWA — Deputy Russel Geist liked kids – his and other people’s. Sheriff Jeff Curry said Geist had the knack for relating to kids. Curry noted one example when Geist dealt with a terrified youngster sitting in a closet when officers responded to a crisis at a home. Geist sat down on the floor in the closet next to the child and talked to her, Curry said.. Geist, 28, who died last week of a medical condition, was remembered today during a memorial service at Ottawa University Chapel. It was the second time in two years that Curry has had to hold a memorial for a young deputy. Samuel Smith was killed last year in a traffic accident: Hundreds of officers from the region – with their vehicle lights flashing – escorted Geist’s body to Highland Cemetery from OU north along Cedar Street to First Street and then up Main Street to 15th. Geist was the son of retired Ottawa police detective Rick Geist, who ran the city’s DARE and McGruff programs for kids.
Wednesday, Oct. 19, 4 p.m.
