End of watch; Elliott remembered as "wonderful sheriff," good communicator

The morning of Thursday, Feb. 16, a Ford Police Interceptor remained still upon the sidewalk before the Phillips County Courthouse in Holyoke, facing local traffic as cars and pedestrians traveled north and south along Interocean Avenue. By that afternoon, people began to leave flowers on the vehicle's hood and later a cross. Behind the car's windshield, a banner depicted a man before an American flag, someone whom many remembered for his obscure historical trivia, humorous nicknames or - if they happened to be speeding - an occasional ticket.

"In memory of Sheriff Thomas Elliott," the banner...