BARTLESVILLE, Okla. -- Bartlesville Police got the news of Lieutenant Fouts' diagnosis last week.
As he battled esophageal cancer the department helped plan a fundraiser for the weekend. Just a day later, he was gone. Now as colleagues move forward, they're working to capture Fouts' spirit.
"Any time he was on the scene he was always trying to calm the situation and help people. He truly cared about the community, the people, and the job that he did," Captain Jay Hastings said.
The lieutenant's colleagues said his passing was so sudden, at first they were in shock. It wasn't until they started cleaning out his car that the loss sunk in.
"When you go into those kind of moments where you're cleaning out things it's... it was tough," Sergeant Nathan Mellen said.
The team was planning to visit the lieutenant on Monday to share some of their favorite moments on the job together.
"He got there and didn't believe this monkey had bit somebody, then the monkey jumped up on his shoulder and bit him on the neck. So someone gave him a "golden monkey" award later," Lt. Kevin Ickleberry said.
Now Fouts is remembered as the officer who always had a smile on his face, and stayed dedicated to the job after 24 years.
"When you sleep at night you know your family's taken care of because he's taking care of his shift," Ickleberry said.
The funeral is planned for Saturday morning at 10:00, starting with a processional from the police department.
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