By Craig Anderson

DELMAR — Doug Marshall isn’t about to let the death of his friend, Delmar police Cpl. Keith Heacook, go unremembered.

Three days after being assaulted during a call to a residence April 25, 2021, Cpl. Heacook died from the injuries he sustained, authorities said.

So nearly a year later, Mr. Marshall is organizing Heacook Fest 2022 — not only to pay tribute to the late police officer but to salute all first responders who protect and serve.

“We most certainly designed this festival around honoring Keith’s memory and the service of first responders,” he said. “This is a very pro-first responders event.”

While admission to the event April 28 at Mr. Marshall’s Amphitheater at Heron Ponds and nearby Kylan Barn is free, he said donations to the Keith Heacook Memorial Scholarship Fund are suggested.

The memorial will run from 6-11 p.m. and is funded by donations and sponsorships, Mr. Marshall said. The Delmar Fire Department will provide food and drinks for purchase.

Area bands Steal the Sky and Full Disclosure will take the stage. And Mr. Marshall said he’s already spoken with national acts about potentially performing at next year’s gathering.

“I have a love of live music, and that’s what pulls people together,” he said.

The Wheels That Heal Car Club will also join the remembrance, along with Ocean City, Maryland, and Delaware Jeep clubs.

In addition, DJ Wis and DJ T-Dome will entertain the crowd, with a “huge” fireworks shot ending the evening, according to the Heacook Fest 2022 Facebook page.

Michael Houck, a longtime colleague of Cpl. Heacook’s, said the scholarship fund looks to “get some more kids interested in law enforcement and providing financial support for them. And hopefully, the scholarship lives on for year after year.

“I guess you could only hope these kids wind up being the officer that Keith was.”
And what type of officer was that?

“He was just great at knowing the law and how to communicate with people,” Mr. Houck said. “He was just an all-around great guy, man. Family came first for him, and he loved being a police officer. You couldn’t ask for a better guy.”

Mr. Houck, a former Wicomico County (Maryland) Sheriff’s Office deputy, was the first to arrive to the 11000 block of Buckingham Drive after Cpl. Heacook went out of touch with a dispatcher in the April 25 incident. He said he had worked on patrol “many, many” years with the Delmar officer.

Mr. Houck arrived to find Cpl. Heacook severely beaten, and despite lifesaving measures at the scene, the officer later succumbed to his injuries. Mr. Houck, who owns a construction business, said he still has frequent nightmares about the assault that led him to retire from law enforcement.

After Cpl. Heacook was found injured, Randon Wilkerson of Salisbury, Maryland, was taken into custody at the scene and charged with first-degree murder, among other counts. He is being held at the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center, near Smyrna. If convicted, he could face a life sentence.

A final case review is scheduled Nov. 9, with a trial set for Nov. 28.