Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough is asking residents to contact lawmakers to pass a bill to designate a portion of M-50 in memory of an animal control officer who was killed after being hit by a drunk driver six years ago.
On June 4, 2020, Animal Control Officer Darrian Young, 23, was killed in the line of duty when a drunk driver struck her vehicle. Proposed Senate Bill 69 of 2025 and House Bill 4100 of 2025 would designate a portion of M-50 as the Animal Control Officer Darrian May Young Memorial Highway.
“I frequently hear from Darrian’s grandmother, who asks if the memorial will be finalized within her lifetime,” Goodnough said in a video.
He then called on “taxpayers and voters” to contact their state legislators to urge them to fulfill “their commitment to their respective office and pass this bill to honor Officer Darrian Young’s memory.”
According to Sen. Joe Bellino, only one of the bills needs to pass to move forward. He and State Rep. William Bruck proposed their respective bills one after the other in February 2025 in order to get one of them passed.
“I don’t really care if it’s Will or me,” Bellino said. “It doesn’t matter, it’s not about ego. It’s about getting the bill across the line and naming the road after Darian.”
According to Bruck, the senate bill was passed out of the house, but HB 4100 now sits on the senate floor after passing through the senate committee with unanimous recommendation.
Monroe County Circuit Judge Michael A. Weipert sentenced Michele Ann Dropulich, 47, of Hudson to serve 17 to 30 years in prison in August 2021 on a second-degree murder conviction that was the result of the fatal drunken-driving crash that claimed Young’s life.
— Contact reporter Connor Veenstra at CVeenstra@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County Sheriff urges action on memorial for fallen officer
Reporting by Connor Veenstra, The Monroe News / The Monroe News
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By Connor Veenstra, The Monroe News | USA TODAY Network
