Allatoona Tournament Benefits Families Of Slain Cobb Officers

A bass fishing tournament this Saturday, Oct. 29 at Lake Allatoona will provide proceeds and donations to benefit the families of two Cobb County deputies shot and killed while serving an arrest warrant on Sept. 8. The tournament will fish out of the Blockhouse Ramp and will begin at safe light until 3 p.m. The entry fee for the team tournament is $100. Donations for the families will also be accepted at the ramp. Standard tournament rules apply, including a five-bass limit and 12-inch minimum length. The tournament also has a winner-take-all $10 big fish pot.

Cobb County deputies Marshall Ervin Jr. and Jonathan Koleski were shot and killed Sept. 8 while attempting to serve a warrant on Christopher James Cook Jr. when another man, Christopher Patrick Golden, 30, opened fire from inside the house and shot both deputies. Golden remains in custody and faces murder and other charges.

Marshall Ervin Jr., 38, was married and the father of two. He was also described as an avid fisherman. During his memorial service, a story was told about how hours before he was killed, Ervin caught a big bass in a pond near his house and was showing the picture.

Jonathan Koleski was 42 and married. At 21 years old, he joined the U.S. Army after the Sept. 11 attacks on our country. He served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and was part of the 101st Airborne Division from 2004 to 2007.

Even if you don’t plan to participate in the tournament, GON readers are encouraged to attend the weigh-in at the Blockhouse Ramp. Donations for the families will be accepted at the ramp. Blockhouse is located at 164 Sandtown Road SE, Cartersville, GA 30121.