Thursday, May 5, 2011

Ellen Reaches North Carolina En Route To Police Unity Tour


My friend Ellen Pierson is biking with a group of police officers from Florida to Virginia this week for this weekend's Police Unity Tour, which is a three-day ride from Virginia to Washington, D.C. Ellen is sharing her thoughts and photos each day of the trek this week. Here's her report for Thursday:


Hey all, cold and head winds. Toughest day yet. We crossed into North Carolina.
This is what we look like from the back rolling down the road. I stay tucked in behind the biggest men I can find.

We rode to Boiling Springs Lake and honored Officer Mitch Prince.

The county's grand jury was meeting on the day that Officer Prince was murdered. The grand jury indicted the suspect on murder and 10 other felonies within 13 hours of Officer Prince's murder. The suspect was convicted of capital murder and sentenced to death.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/17545-police-officer-james-mitchell-(mitch)-prince

We have stopped here for the past several years. The PD provides bag lunches for us that we take and enjoy on the ferry ride.

From the ferry we rode up the coast of NC to Wilmington. Its usually a beautiful route where we take lots of pictures. The head winds were so bad I could not take my hands off the handlebars. On the way to the WPD, we stopped at the site of the death of Officer Rich Matthews.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/19770-police-officer-richard-john-matthews

Rich rode with us in 2008 for a day. He was planning on riding with us in 2009. The picture is of the 4 Wilmington officers cycling with us.

Upon arrival at the WPD, I met Ms. Colt, a relative of Officer David Curtis, Tampa PD, It was so kind of Ms. Colt to met us. I am taking the sign she made to WDC to present to her family.

Tomorrow we are off to Jacksonville NC and then Kinston. More families to meet. Be safe, Ellen

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