- Lake County News reports
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Thousands expected to attend Mendocino County deputy's funeral
NORTH COAST, Calif. – California's governor will be among the thousands expected to attend the Wednesday funeral of a Mendocino County Sheriff's deputy who was killed in the line of duty last week.
Deputy Ricky Del Fiorentino, 48, will be honored in the Wednesday services, which begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the Cotton Auditorium, 500 North Harold Street in Fort Bragg.
Del Fiorentino was shot March 19 by an Oregon man wanted in connection to a homicide, carjacking and armed robbery, as Lake County News has reported.
Gov. Jerry Brown's office confirmed on Tuesday that he will attend Del Fiorentino's funeral service.
Last week, Brown had ordered the State Capitol's flags to fly at half-staff in the slain deputy's honor.
The commemoration of Del Fiorentino's life will begin with a procession that will start in Ukiah, leaving at 6:45 a.m., according to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.
Caltrans will help provide traffic control at various locations from Ukiah to Fort Bragg.
The agency said up to 1,000 law enforcement vehicles are anticipated to participate.
The procession will leave Ukiah and travel north on US Highway 101 to Willits, west on Highway 20 to Highway 1, then briefly south along Highway 1 to Pearl Drive before turning north to arrive at the Georgia Pacific Mill site in Fort Bragg at about 9 a.m.
Caltrans is coordinating with the California Highway Patrol, the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department and other local law enforcement agencies to provide traffic control at major intersections including US Highway 101/Route 20 in Willits, and Route 1/20 and Route 1/Simpson Lane in Fort Bragg.
Motorists are advised to avoid these locations if possible, or to anticipate possible 45-minute delays.
Mendocino Sheriff's Capt. Greg Van Patten said attendance at the funeral is expected to exceed the seating capacity of the Cotton Auditorium.
Overflow seating has been established adjacent to the Cotton Auditorium at the Fort Bragg Middle School Gymnasium and a large enclosed outdoor tent beside the Gymnasium.
It is expected that there will be a live steaming video feed transmitted from inside the Cotton Auditorium to the Gymnasium and tent for viewing purposes.
The live steaming video feed will be broadcast on cable channels 3 and 65 in the Ukiah Valley area and on the Internet at the www.mendocinoaccess.org Web site.
Those who are unable to attend the memorial service are encouraged to watch the cable broadcast if at all possible as opposed to the Internet broadcast to prevent any disruption in the Internet broadcast due to oversaturation, Van Patten said.