09/12/2026
Local Heroes Benefits through Bethany Church have been supported through the prosecutor’s office for numerous years and through different prosecutors. To say, we are disappointed, saddened, discouraged, and beyond… about the recent release of information about a potential plea deal for the heinous and malicious acts against one of our local LEO heroes… Deputy Samuelson… would be putting it lightly.
Sponsorships for this event help to pay for the event and bring the awareness and support for first responders in all departments to the community… the goal is that whatever is raised after all the bills are paid goes back to support departments to get some things they maybe can’t buy with regular budgeted funds. It doesn’t raise hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. It raises a few thousand. We try our best to give it away to put to good use to help keep our community safer.
This year law-enforcement officers around the region gave back any funds they would’ve received from 2025 to help their departments to go towards wounded officers.
Just in case people have forgotten, we had three regional officers injured in shootings within a short amount of time. Have people forgotten? I don’t think so. And is there any forgetting that these officers are the ones who stand between the public, you know the rest of us, and the danger that these shooters bring forth. We are not brave enough nor do we pretend to be strong enough to truly stand on that thin blue line that our law enforcement officers step up to every day. But we are committed to supporting our law-enforcement families and friends and want to say that we DO NOT support this action from the prosecutor’s office.
The sponsorship amount that we received from the Prosecutor’s office this year will be passed forward this year… to one of the local heroes the donor claimed to support…. Deputy Samuelson.
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Law enforcement and the prosectors office should work hand in hand together. Law enforcement are the ones on the street enforcing the laws. We take people to jail when necessary and depend on our prosecutors to see the case through with a reasonable outcome. It is a team effort all around. The crimes range from something miniscule like theft, to something serious like murder. During Prosecutor Fagan’s campaign for LaPorte County Prosecutor, one thing he sold was his support for our law enforcement. If you visit Prosecutor Fagan’s website, it states the following:
Sean Fagan believes the role of Prosecutor is simple:
Protect our communities.
Support law enforcement.
Deliver justice fairly and effectively.
During his time as prosector, especially recently, this has been proven wrong. Many cases with an expected outcome have not had that. On May 22, 2026, when LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Jon Samuelson was shot by 22-year-old Sharod Grafton. Mr. Grafton stood over Deputy Samuelson inside of the Franciscan Hospital Emergency Room after shooting him three times, and attempted to shoot him one more time, but the fi***rm jammed. Mind you, this was all caught on camera inside of Franciscan Hospital. Prior to this, Mr. Grafton allegedly stole the vehicle from his mother at her residence in Chicago. His mother told police she arrived home at around 3 a.m. that morning and found Mr. Grafton had barricaded himself inside the residence with her 1-year-old and 10-year-old daughters. After Grafton refused to let her in, she called 911. Mr. Grafton’s mother said she eventually forced herself inside the home through a rear door and when she was inside Mr. Grafton pointed a small handgun at her and demanded the keys to her vehicle. She gave him the keys and he left the residence.
The Fraternal Order of Police Dunes Lodge #75 President was contacted by Doug Samuelson, former FOP 75 President and father of Jon Samuelson on the evening of September 10, 2026. The sound of shock and disgust in his voice was very apparent. Doug went on to say how the LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan put a plea deal on the table for Mr. Grafton. This plea deal was removing the fi***rm enhancements to the charges that Mr. Grafton faced. This aids in taking approximately 15-20 years off of his sentence that the judge can issue. With the presented charges that Mr. Grafton faces, without the enhancements, the maximum sentence is now only 20 years, when it could have been 40. One would think that prior to offering a plea deal to someone who shot you, that the Prosecutor would speak with the victim and get their input on the plea deal being offered. That did not happen. Prosecutor Fagan presented the plea deal without speaking to anyone in the Samuelson family, specifically Jon. Doug went on to tell me that Prosecutor Fagan advised that this case is not a slam dunk and that he should understand that since he comes from a long lineage of law enforcement… remember previously how I mentioned that the shooting was on camera at the hospital. Doug said that this is a slap to the face of all active and retired officers. So why would Prosecutor Fagan, someone who says they want to Protect our communities, Support law enforcement, and Deliver justice fairly and effectively, go against what he said he believes is the roll of the prosecutor by offering this plea deal to someone who has a criminal history in Chicago, points a fi***rm at their mother, steals her car, shoots a police officer with the intent to kill them. That is far from protecting our community, far from supporting law enforcement, and definitely is not delivering justice fairly and effectively.
I have the privilege this morning of speaking with Quinn Samuelson. I allowed the Samuelson family to read this before I posted it. She asked if she could make a statement as well regarding her interaction recently with Prosecutor Fagan. The letter she sent me is the photograph attached to this post. She shares her feelings regarding this situation. One part that is not mentioned is the fact that Prosecutor Fagan told her that Jon needs to focus on other things such as therapy instead of focusing on the trial. Who is the Prosecutor to be telling someone that went through this how they should be spending their time?
The Fraternal Order of Police Dunes Lodge #75 supports law enforcement along with the mix of agencies we have the opportunity to work with. We, however, do not support these actions by Prosecutor Fagan and find it to be a slap in the face to all law enforcement officers that he would consider not only offering this plea to Mr. Grafton, but doing it behind Deputy Samuelson’s back. Prosecutor Fagan is an associate member of the Fraternal Order of Police Dunes Lodge #75 and we are not only asking for his resignation from our organization as it is clear he is not supportive of law enforcement, but to also do the right thing and prosecute Mr. Grafton the appropriate way.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this lengthy letter. I feel it is very important for everyone to see what is going on with our prosecutor and what we are dealing with. I also want to take you all who have rallied around the Samuelson family during this time.
Brian Wright
President
Fraternal Order of Police
Dunes Lodge #75
