Funeral Services for Red Lake Officer Who Died in Crash Planned for Saturday

Jesse Branch (Contributed)

Funeral services for the Red Lake police officer who died in a crash while on duty last week will take place this Saturday.

Red Lake officials say 35-year-old Jesse Branch was responding to a call last week when he was involved in a two-vehicle traffic accident on Highway 1 east of Red Lake. Branch and the other driver, Alan Lussier Jr., both died due to injuries sustained in the crash.

Funeral services for Branch will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 7th at the Humanities Building in Red Lake. Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, December 6th at the Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home in Bemidji, and there will also be visitation and a community meal at noon on Saturday at the Red Lake Humanities Building.

Following the services, a law enforcement procession will occur from the Red Lake Humanities Building to the Holy Cross Cemetery in Bemidji for a cemetery service and final law enforcement honors. Members of the public who would like to pay their respects to Officer Branch, his family, and his fellow officers are welcome and encouraged to stop along the processional route to show their support.

It’s anticipated that the procession will begin in Red Lake around 3:30 p.m. and arrive at the cemetery in Bemidji around 4:30. The procession route from Red Lake will be west on Highway 1, south on Highway 89, east on Highway 2, and north on Ridgeway Drive NW.