Valdosta – A tree was planted Monday morning outside the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office in honor of Deputy Chris Butler who was killed in the line of duty earlier this year.

Deputy Butler passed away on Feb. 25, 2017. He was on his way to a domestic call, with lights and sirens on, when a semi pulled out in front of him. Butler crashed with that semi head-on.

“The Dalton Police Department called and wanted to plant a tree in his honor,” said Sheriff Ashley Paulk. “They came a long way for this.”

The Dalton Police Department started a project called Planting Brotherhood and travel across the state honoring fallen deputies. Deputy Butler’s tree marked the sixth planting for 2017.

The tree was placed into the ground and Butler’s fellow deputies and family members were given the opportunity to fill in the hole.

“It means a lot to us,” said Heather Butler, Chris Butler’s wife. “This is something that he loved to do. It was a passion he got to fulfill and we think it’s wonderful.”