Family requests community's help to pay for funeral for KCSO senior deputy who took his own life
The family of a Kern County sheriff's deputy who killed himself this week is asking for the community’s help to fund his funeral — citing their heartbreak with what they said was the department's refusal to honor its own deputy.
“Our minds cannot process how the sheriff will not recognize the gravity of Ben’s impact to the Kern County Sheriff organization, and their refusal to honor Ben with the service that he is owed is heartbreaking,” said the statement on the GoFundMe page set up Friday by Whitney Winter, the sister of Senior Deputy Ben Harmonson.
Thirty-six-year-old Benjamin Alan Michael Harmonson was found dead Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound outside a vehicle in a dirt lot north of 7th Standard Road in Shafter, west of Verdugo Lane, according to the Kern County coroner’s office. Dozens of law enforcement vehicles led a procession to transport the body in an unmarked white minivan to the coroner's office.
The GoFundMe page originally stated the Kern County Sheriff’s Office would not help pay for Harmonson’s funeral costs; that assertion was later removed. In the first three hours of launching the page, community members donated more than $12,700, exceeding the goal of $8,000.
The statement on the GoFundMe page said Harmonson struggled with a “silent battle with mental health,” and that his death has overshadowed his career with the KCSO, which began in 2008.
“16 years of choosing to put his life on the line, 16 years of dedication to keeping our community safe, 16 years of putting others before himself, and 16 years of sacrifices that he made for his profession,” the statement said.
In a message to The Californian, Winter said the community's outpouring of support and love to the family during their time of mourning has been incredible.
"He was an amazing man who is going to live in our hearts forever," Winter said on behalf of her family.
The Californian has repeatedly asked the Sheriff’s Office for a statement regarding Harmonson’s career. KCSO spokeswoman Lori Meza told The Californian on Thursday the department is not prepared to speak on the matter, adding it "is not something we've ever dealt with before."
KSCO statements and state records indicate Harmonson started his career with the Sheriff’s Office on July 19, 2008, as a trainee and became a full deputy on Jan. 17, 2009.
Agency records show he has served as a bomb technician with the KSCO bomb squad. In 2013, he was named Rosamond deputy of the year.
According to records, he was promoted to senior deputy assigned to the Tehachapi substation on Nov. 5, 2022. On March 8, 2023, he was promoted again to become a supervisor within the department.
The Bakersfield Police Department has taken over the investigation into Harmonson’s death. The BPD’s public information officer, Eric Celedon, told The Californian on Wednesday the Sheriff’s Office is upset at having lost one of its own and will work hard to honor his memory.
The community can donate to the GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-our-lost-hero-ben-harmonson.
