IL Senate Votes to Name Stretch of U-S 67 for WarrenCo Deputy

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Senate has voted to name a stretch of highway in honor of a Warren County sheriff’s deputy who died in the line of duty.

George Darnell was shot and killed after responding to a call of suspicious activity in December 1981.

The 61-year-old was a World War Two veteran. He was survived by his wife, who died in 2012, and seven children.

State Sen. John Sullivan is a Rushville Democrat. He sponsored the resolution to name a one-mile section of U.S. Route 67 near Monmouth in memory of Darnell.

In a statement Friday, Sullivan says even though Darnell died years ago it “does not diminish the impact and importance of his life.”

The measure approved Thursday now moves to the Illinois House.