10:52 AM EST on Monday, March 21, 2005

By BRIAN FARRELL / 13 News

SUFFOLK — Funeral services will be held Wednesday for a Suffolk police officer who collapsed and later died Friday after chasing after a suspect.

From Suffolk police dept.

Officer William "Drew" Henley

According to police, 33-year-old Officer William Henley approached a group of suspects near Webb Street Friday night. Brian Ralph ran, and Henley followed. Mid-chase, he collapsed and died from a previously undiagnosed medical condition.

Ralph was later found to be fugitive from New Jersey, facing assault and battery charges. He was arrested and remained in jail Saturday night.

Henley joined the Suffolk Police Department in 2002, just after graduating from the local police academy. Fellow officers said they will remember him as a personably guy, a devoted husband and father-of-four and a motivating friend.

"He held me up on a couple of days, even on the street when I wavered and asked myself did I want to do this job," said friend Det. John McCarley. "Drew would say, 'Come on, man, let's talk about this. We didn't go through all this for nothing.' I believe he had the same impact on some of the officers he worked with on the street."

Henley's death is the first on-the-job death for Suffolk police in seven decades.

"I'm hoping that out of all this, Drew is a spark to ignite us to just draw closer to each other," McCarley said.

Henley's funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Westminster Church in Suffolk. A private burial will be held in Asheville, N.C.

A memorial fund for Henley's family has been set up at Suntrust Bank. Donations can be made care of Christine E. Henley. He's survived by a wife and four children.