On the one-year anniversary of his killing, a Los
Angeles County sheriff 39;s sergeant was honored today as family members
joined authorities to dedicate a section of State Route 14 in the Antelope
Valley in his name.
“The outpouring by the Antelope Valley community has remained steady
and strong,39;39; Sheriff Jim McDonnell said at a ceremony one year to the day
that sheriff 39;s Sgt. Steve Owen was shot to death last Oct. 5 as he responded
to a young mother 39;s 911 call reporting a burglary at her apartment building in
Lancaster. “Steve Owen was indeed a department leader and had a profound
impact in his role as a law enforcement officer. 39; 39;
The sheriff noted that the freeway signs — which designate a portion of
the highway as the Sgt. Steven C. Owen Los Angeles County Sheriff
Memorial Highway — are the fourth tribute to the slain 53-year- old veteran law
enforcement officer in the area.
The park where the ceremony was held was re-named in Owen 39;s honor,
along with an equestrian center at the Pitchess Detention Center and a horse
trail in Antelope Valley, the sheriff said.
Owen 39;s wife, Tania, who is a Los Angeles County sheriff 39;s detective,
called it “truly an honor and a pleasure for myself and my family to be here
today just to see everyone come together today to honor someone that we
absolutely love and admire to this day. 39; 39;
“My husband, Sgt. Steve Owen, was a law enforcement officer to the
community, but he was our world, he was my world, my best friend and the
love of my life, 39;39; she said, calling him a “father figure and a leader to the men
and women he led and a friend to the community.39;39;
Assemblyman Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, who introduced state legislation
that allowed for a section of the highway to be named in Owen 39;s honor, called
him “one of Lancaster 39;s finest heroes.39;39;
“I can assure you that the Antelope Valley will never, ever forget
Sergeant Owen 39;s sacrifice,39;39; Lackey said, noting that the slain sergeant was
committed not only to enforcing the laws of the land but was also a “very,
very dedicated community servant.39; 39;
Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said Owen “made the ultimate sacrifice in
order to ensure the safety of our residents and their families, adding that
the dedication of a portion of the freeway in Owen 39;s honor “will serve as a
continuous reminder of his selfless act, as well as a lesson to us all that we
each have the ability to improve our community — much like Steve did every
day.39;39;
Later this week, Caltrans workers will install the freeway signs, which
were paid for with private funds from the Los Angeles County Professional
Peace Officers Association.
The sheriff 39;s Lancaster and Palmdale stations also posted tributes to
Owen on Twitter.
“Sun comes up on the 1 year anniversary of our beloved Sgt. Steve Owen.
We are here paying our respects, 39;39; read a Tweet from the sheriff 39;s Lancaster
station, which showed sheriff 39;s deputies paying tribute to the slain sergeant.
A Tweet that was posted by the sheriff 39;s Palmdale station read, “One
year ago, we lost a hero. Sergeant Steve Owen 39;s legacy will always continue
to live on in the Antelope Valley. 39; 39;
Trenton Trevon Lovell, a parolee accused of shooting Owen as he
responded to the burglary call and then pumping four additional shots into the
veteran lawman once he was down, remains jailed without bail while awaiting
a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence to require him to stand trial
on murder and other charges.
Lovell, now 28, allegedly held a brother and sister in a neighboring
house in Lancaster at knifepoint after convincing them that he had been
robbed and needed help after the shooting, authorities said. The young
woman, Nancy Arrowsmith-Hart, secretly texted her mother, who alerted
sheriff 39;s deputies about Lovell 39;s location, and her brother, Trevor Hart, locked
the family 39;s barking dog in a room where guns were stored, according to the
District Attorney 39;s Office, which honored the two siblings as “courageous
citizens 39; 39; in April.