Shaker Rotary Club Honors Detective Ishler and Fire Lt. Crouse with Annual Community Awards

SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio — The lead investigator in a grisly 2023 murder and a future “First CALL” fire lieutenant both received awards Wednesday, Oct. 2, from the Shaker Heights Rotary Club.

In addition to considerable multitasking, Det. Kevin Ishler and Fire Lt. Dillon Crouse were honored for exemplifying the club’s mission of “Service Before Self.”

In his nomination letter, Police Chief Wayne Hudson cited Ishler’s commendable work on numerous difficult cases, starting with a horrific crime scene at a Tolland Avenue apartment on January 31, 2023.

Responding to a request from family members to check on her personal well-being after they had not heard from her in approximately two weeks, “officers discovered the deceased and decapitated body of Maria Valenzuela wrapped in blankets”.

Designated as lead investigator, Ishler worked diligently over the next days and beyond to identify, arrest and build the case against the suspect, Christian Warner, 26, of Cleveland.

Within days, Warner was indicted for aggravated murder and numerous other related charges still pending in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court.

Ishler’s responsibilities included processing and documenting the crime scene and identifying Warner as Valenzuela’s boyfriend through previous incidents in Cleveland and interviews with family members.

He also helped execute a search warrant at Warner’s home that showed he had just purchased a plane ticket and flew to Florida.

This led to coordinating his arrest through the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, his subsequent extradition, as well as Ishler’s testimony before a grand jury.

“This was a painstaking and emotionally draining investigation that Det. Ishler conducted himself in a professional manner,” Hudson said in the nomination letter.

“His final product was a well-written 27-page incident report accompanied by several binders of supporting documents,” Hudson added.

Warner remains jailed here on $2.5 million bail set in March, and his trial will continue until Feb. 10, 2025 at the request of his defense attorney.

Until the cases

Having started as a patrol officer at Shaker in 2006, Ishler was promoted to the detective bureau in 2017.

Hudson mentioned several other cases handled by Ishler last year, closing 47 criminal reports out of 56 assigned, including investigations into:

–A road rage incident, including a crime scene sketch, in which a man was stabbed multiple times, resulting in a felony assault charge.

– Numerous ATV and dirt bike thefts in which victims were scammed through Facebook Marketplace, leading to the identification of two suspects operating in the Greater Cleveland area and the creation of a group work through the county attorney’s office.

— An aggravated robbery where a minor was tied up like an adult and indicted

— Volunteered to investigate an aggravated burglary in which two men held an 83-year-old victim at gunpoint.

“Detective. Ishler’s efforts in 2023 have been exceptional and deserve to be recognized,” Hudson wrote. “He has demonstrated the hard work, dedication and expertise necessary to become a successful detective.”

Ishler thanked his wife and family, saying the award belonged to them as much as it did to him.

“You have been my rock. The long hours, unpredictable schedules and emotional weight of this job are made bearable because of your patience and encouragement,” Ishler said, also thanking his colleagues in the department who inspire him every day.

Where is the fire

It’s already been another big year for Crouse, who joined the Shaker Heights Fire Department in 2018 after three years in Strongsville and “hit the ground running,” Chief Patrick Sweeney wrote in his nomination letter .

Less than a month ago, Crouse and his wife welcomed their daughter into the family, including her father, who is retired from the Bedford Fire Department.

He also has two great-grandfathers – “on both sides of the family” – who served as first responders in Colorado and Connecticut.

Much like law enforcement, the profession has changed significantly, with Crouse embracing it.

“Dillon has taken on even more responsibilities for the department, becoming our ‘technology guru’” since his promotion to lieutenant last April,” Sweeney said.

By researching specialized courses and training conducted throughout the country “mostly at his own expense, I am convinced that during his travels, Dillon obtained almost every fire or EMS certification in existence, using them to his advantage residents. of our community,” Sweeney said.

Crouse mentors new hires and resolves inefficiencies, including developing a new IT document for staffing now used by other departments at the Heights-Hillcrest Communications Center in Cleveland Heights, part of Chagrin Valley Dispatch .

“Additionally, he helped create power fields in our EMS reporting software used to submit relevant and timely mental health referrals to the First CALL program (for crisis assistance and local connections) » which became regional in five cities.

Crouse also took the lead in implementing the department’s new “First Due” fire reporting software, importing existing data into an updated program for final implementation in January 2025.

“Dillon regularly works late into the night, mostly multitasking on multiple devices,” Sweeney said.

During a 24-hour shift at the fire station, “sometimes I think the only time he takes a break is at 7:30 p.m.,” Sweeney added, “and that’s just to beat us all into hazard”.

Crouse also serves on various subcommittees of the Cuyahoga County Emergency Services Advisory Council, meeting several times a year to improve both EMS and communications issues at the county level.

“These are just a few of the many ways Dillon is always working to improve the fire department as a whole,” Sweeney said.

“He is very deserving of this prestigious award for the way he lives his life, both inside and outside of the fire service. »

The firefighter award was presented to Crouse by Rotary Club member John Sobotincic, while Candi Hazelwood presented the police award to Ishler.

Rotary Club of Heights of Greater Cleveland President Steve Zabor gave the introductory breakfast held at Shaker Heights Fire Station #1, with Bob Ault delivering the invocation.

“These are two of our best,” noted Shaker Heights Mayor David Weiss. “We have a lot of good police officers and firefighters. But these two guys really went above and beyond the call.

Ishler also provided a Rotarian perspective on the recognition shared with Crouse.

“As I reflect on this honor, I am reminded of why I chose this profession in the first place: to make a meaningful difference, to serve with integrity, and to uphold the Rotary Club motto “Service First.”

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