Bond loved to serve public, friends say

By Gary Tanner

Staff Writer

Donald Bond loved being a sheriff's deputy and worked hard at it, his friends said Thursday.

He got so good at it, he often caught criminals in the act, said Lt. Henry Roach of the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department. That talent may have played a role in his death in the wee hours Thursday, Lt. Roach said.

"He seemed to have a knack for picking up on what was going on and breaking it up," Lt. Roach said. "It might have led to him being in a bad spot."

Deputy Bond, 33, was shot to death sometime between 1:25 and 2:18 a.m. Thursday when he stopped at a fruit-and-vegetable stand off East Brainerd Road to check out a suspicious truck parked there, authorities said.

Marlon Duane Kiser, 31, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting and is being held in the Hamilton County Jail.

Deputy Bond's funeral has been set for 12:30 p.m. Monday at Collegedale Seventh-day Adventist Church, Hamilton County Sheriff John Cupp said. Deputy Bond is survived by his wife, Charity, a nurse; mother; and a brother.

Friends, family and co-workers are mourning the death of a man they called a dedicated officer, a devoted husband, a good son and a caring friend.

"He has always lived and breathed police work," said Bobby Tishaw, a former schoolmate of Deputy Bond. "I ran into him about a month ago, and he was tickled to be out on the road."

Deputy Bond had been a dispatcher for the Collegedale police and fire departments and then with the Hamilton County Sheriff's Department for nine years. He applied to become a patrol officer, completed police academy training and was put on patrol by the Sheriff's Department in May 1999, according to Deputy Chief Tommy Standifer.

Sheriff Cupp said Deputy Bond led the department in the number of drunken-driving arrests made last year.

Mr. Tishaw said it was "like he could smell a drunk, even if they weren't swerving all over the road. He could pick up if someone had a problem." Mr. Tishaw worked with Deputy Bond as a Collegedale dispatcher and a firefighter with the Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department.

In addition to his police work, Deputy Bond was a member of the National Guard, Sheriff Cupp said. Paul Bobenhausen, a longtime friend, said Deputy Bond was a veteran of the Persian Gulf War, where he served as a medic.

Away from work, Deputy Bond was a "history buff," Mr. Bobenhausen said. "He especially liked World War II Navy stuff," he said.

Deputy Bond and his wife also enjoyed traveling and working on their home, Mr. Bobenhausen said.

Deputy Chief Standifer said the Bonds were "a very nice young couple with a lot ahead of them."

All who spoke about Deputy Bond on Thursday kept coming back to his love of police work and public service.

"He was always a model citizen and wanted to see people treated right," Mr. Tishaw said.

E-mail Gary Tanner at gtanner@timesfreepress.com