Residents and motorists in Wadsworth and Rittman should expect temporary road closures and traffic delays Friday afternoon as a law enforcement funeral procession escorts Rittman Police Sgt. Scott Ries to his final resting place.
Ries, 54, was killed in the line of duty Sunday while responding to a 911 call reporting a break-in and shots fired in Rittman.
His funeral is scheduled for 1 p.m. Friday at Northside Christian Church, 7615 Ridge Road in Wadsworth. Following the service, a law enforcement procession is expected to depart the church at approximately 2:30 p.m.
According to the Wadsworth Police Department, the procession will travel south on State Route 94 (High Street) to Interstate 76, continue west on I-76, then head south on State Route 57 before exiting at Rittman Road and entering the city of Rittman.
Once in the city, the procession will travel west on Ohio Avenue, where it will slow as it passes the Rittman Police Department before continuing north on Metzger Road, west on Sunset Drive, then south on Decourcey Street to Rittman Cemetery, where Ries will be laid to rest.
The City of Rittman said road closures will begin at approximately 2:30 p.m. All roads intersecting Ohio Avenue, Metzger Street, Sunset Drive and Decourcey Avenue along the procession route will be closed while the procession passes.
Officials said cross traffic will be permitted only on Main Street, and no cross traffic will be allowed on Ohio Avenue during the procession.
The Wadsworth Police Department is encouraging motorists to allow extra travel time, use alternate routes if possible and follow directions from officers directing traffic. Drivers are also reminded to yield the right of way to every vehicle participating in the funeral procession.
Ries served nearly three decades in law enforcement, including nearly 10 years with the Rittman Police Department after previously serving with the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office.
He was killed Sunday while responding to a shooting that also claimed the lives of Christie McWilliams and her 13-year-old daughter, McKinley McWilliams. Four Medina County sheriff’s deputies were wounded in the attack, along with Wayne County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Vick, who was released from the hospital Tuesday and continues recovering at home.
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation continues to investigate the shooting.
