A 12-year-old boy from Florida will be running one mile Monday evening in his hometown in honor of fallen Hancock County Sheriff's Deputy, Luke Gross.

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Zechariah Cartledge loves to run and has found, through the years, that he's pretty good at it. According to the Running4heroes.org website, inspired by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which was created to help honor heroes after 9/11, Cartledge wanted to use his gift for running to help honor heroes and created Running 4 Heroes in 2019. From the Running 4 Heroes Facebook Page:

"Running 4 Heroes is a Non-Profit founded by a then 10-year old (now 12). This mission seeks to raise funds for our injured First Responders while also paying tribute to our Fallen Heroes through running."

This Monday, Cartledge will be running for one of our own, Deputy Luke Gross, who was struck and killed while on the scene of an early morning accident in Trenton last week.

"On Monday evening, September 27th, Zechariah will run 1-mile (weather permitting) carrying his flag in honor of fallen Hancock County Sheriff's Dept. (ME) Deputy Luke Gross. The run will take place at around 7:00 PM ET and will be held in Zechariah's hometown of Central Florida...We encourage citizens and agencies from across the nation to join our son in a 1-mile walk or run Monday evening at 7:00 PM ET (4:00 PM PT) to help honor this fallen hero."

If you want to join Zechariah in honoring Deputy Gross, there are several local walks all around Hancock County, being scheduled to take place at the same time. Here are a couple:

The Eddington Fire Department will host a walk-in remembrance for 7 PM Monday at the Eddington School. Folks are invited to walk a mile around the well-lit school, to pay tribute to Deputy Gross.

The Orland Fire Department is also hosting a 1-mile walk. Residents are encouraged to wear reflective clothing, bring a flashlight and meet up at the Orland Community Center. Walkers/runners will travel to the Orland Fire station and back to the Community Center.

Members of CrossFit Acadia will be running a mile with Gross on their minds at 7 PM at the CrossFit Acadia location at 249 Bucksport Road in Ellsworth. All are welcome to join them, even if you're not up for a run, you could still walk.

Hundreds of law enforcement members turned out to line the route Sunday, in the pouring rain, as Deputy Gross was taken from his hometown of Bucksport to Mt. Hope Cemetery in Bangor.

A funeral service will be held for Gross at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor later this week.

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It was as if heaven itself was weeping as the mortal remains of Hancock County Sheriff Deputy Luke Gross were brought to Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor, arriving at 10 a.m. in a downpour on Sunday, September 26th

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