Darth Z
Registered
The town I live in is about 65 miles south of New Orleans, and is home to the second largest Mardi Gras. During the parades every officer employed by the Sheriff' s Office and Police Department are required to work. Mon. - Fri. personnel has to take off early from normal duty, then go work on the parade routes. Shift personnel has to report to the parade route immediately after shift change. 99% of officers HATE Mardi Gras due to having to work all the parades. They found a new reason to hate Mardi Gras, when tragedy struck early Sunday morning.
Captain Timothy "Timmy" Bergeron, a 25 year veteran of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff' s Office, and 10 year veteran of the motorcycle patrol division, was killed in a wreck shortly after 7:00 AM, while escorting Mardi Gras floats to the starting point of the parade.
He will be greatly missed by many. He was a man of impecable dignity and respect. He was always a true professional, and treated everyone with respect. He was in charge of the D.A.R.E. program for T.P.S.O., and touched a lot of young lives. I had the pleasure of attending one of his classes once. He was a very animated character, and took great pride in his work, just as he should. You don' t meet many officers like him these days. This is a terrible loss for his family, law enforcement, the community, and the many, many lives he touched in the 49 years he was here on this earth.
Captain Timothy "Timmy" Bergeron, a 25 year veteran of the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff' s Office, and 10 year veteran of the motorcycle patrol division, was killed in a wreck shortly after 7:00 AM, while escorting Mardi Gras floats to the starting point of the parade.
He will be greatly missed by many. He was a man of impecable dignity and respect. He was always a true professional, and treated everyone with respect. He was in charge of the D.A.R.E. program for T.P.S.O., and touched a lot of young lives. I had the pleasure of attending one of his classes once. He was a very animated character, and took great pride in his work, just as he should. You don' t meet many officers like him these days. This is a terrible loss for his family, law enforcement, the community, and the many, many lives he touched in the 49 years he was here on this earth.
Terrebonne deputy killed escorting float in Houma
By Matthew Pleasant
Published: Monday, February 8, 2010 at 12:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, February 8, 2010 at 12:29 p.m.
( page 1 of 4 )
HOUMA — Kate Bergeron knew that her husband took great pride in his role as a motorcycle officer, especially during Carnival season.
She also begged him each year to stop.
“I was always afraid it would take his life,†she said.
That fear became reality Sunday morning when Terrebonne sheriff’s Capt. Timothy Bergeron was hit and killed while escorting a Mardi Gras float to take part in the Krewe of Titans parade.
Bergeron, 49, a deputy for 26 years, served under four different Terrebonne Parish sheriffs.
Bergeron, other deputies and Houma Police officers were escorting Titans floats on La. 311 at 7:08 a.m., State Police said. Bergeron was driving his department-owned 2009 Harley Davidson, emergency lights activated, north in the southbound lane as the convoy approached Krumbhaar Drive, near Polk Street, police said.
Shelly K. Ordoyne, 36, of Raceland, behind the wheel of a 2002 Lincoln Continental, was waiting to turn left onto La. 311 from Krumbhaar. The driver of one the floats, 44-year-old Cleveland Ordoyne of Lockport, slowed to a near stop and waved the Lincoln to make a turn in front of him, according to the State Police report.
“Neither Mr. Ordoyne nor Ms. Ordoyne observed Capt. Bergeron approaching,†the agency’s news release says. “Ms. Ordoyne could not see due to the floats and the sun’s position in the sky when she proceeded to pull out and make a left turn.â€
Shelly Ordoyne spotted Bergeron when she was three-quarters into the turn and steered right to avoid him, said State Police Troop C spokesman Bryan Zeringue. Bergeron also tried to avoid the wreck by braking hard and laying the motorcycle onto the pavement. The two collided in spite of both drivers’ efforts, Zeringue said.
Rescuers worked frantically to save Bergeron’s life, but he was pronounced dead at Terrebonne General Medical Center.
Shelly Ordoyne, who suffered injuries described as minor, was treated and released.
Sheriff Vernon Bourgeois, who was in Miami for the Super Bowl, returned to Houma Sunday morning.
Bourgeois said he counted Bergeron as a colleague and a close friend. The two served together on motorcycle-patrol details for many years, Bourgeois said.
“He touched many lives in the course of his career,†Bourgeois said. “It’s going to be a big loss, a huge loss.â€
Bergeron began his career as a uniformed deputy in 1985 under Sheriff Ronnie Duplantis. He later served under Charlton Rozands. In 1992, when Jerry Larpenter was Sheriff, he was promoted sergeant. In 1995, he was assigned to the D.A.R.E. program, a drug-education effort targeting youngsters, began work as a school-resource officer, and was promoted to lieutenant.
His motorcycle-patrol work began in 1999. Ten years later, under Bourgeois, he was promoted to captain and became supervisor of the D.A.R.E. and school-resource programs.
Most recently he had been making improvements to the department’s computer system and performed community relations.
“He taught himself on computers,†Bourgeois said. “He could knock you out a Power Point presentation in five minutes.â€
His D.A.R.E. graduations included elaborate presentations ranging from Power Point projections to mixes of music, strobe lights and even a smoke machine. His college-aged children sometimes helped.
Bergeron possessed many impressive skills, Bourgeois said, that had little to do with work.
“He could draw, he could stain glass like he had done it for his whole life,†Bourgeois said.
Chad Ordoyne, husband of the woman whose car was involved in the collision, said she and the rest of his family are having difficulty coping with the
tragedy.
Shelly Ordoyne had left her job at a Polk Street assisted-living home after working all night. Normally she would turn onto La. 311 and head for Lafayette Street, eventually making her way to La. 182 for the trip home to Raceland.
But on Sunday morning she saw the parade floats and their escorts in the distance, and decided to avoid them by turning onto Krumbhaar, not realizing it had no outlet.
“She turned around and was back at 311,†he said.
That’s where she attempted to make the turn that was never completed. Chad Ordoyne said. That was at a little after 7 a.m., an hour earlier than usual to accommodate the Super Bowl.
“We really feel for the family,†he said of Bergeron’s kin. “It’s a hard thing for us.â€
Bergeron’s family had planned to join him in cheering the New Orleans Saints to victory Sunday night.
Instead they gathered to mourn and remember the fallen deputy.
Among the things that made him special, loved ones said, were the things he created.
He once made a Batman costume, complete with a cape, boots and pointed-ears. He made a Cat Woman costume, just as meticulously constructed, for his wife, Kate.
Her twin daughters, JoDee and Kaleigh, 20, proudly displayed the miniature Houma Indian village made for a social-studies course. He not only helped them make the burial mound, stream and 2-inch trees, he took the girls to a local Indian mound to teach them about the culture they were attempting to recreate.
He and Kate were married for 10 years and between them had six children from previous marriages. One of his sons, Steven Bergeron, is assigned to the Sheriff’s Office narcotics division.
What Kate Bergeron remembers her husband for is his dedication to family.
“He stood by my side and never left,†Kate Bergeron said.
Bergeron, one of five children, grew up in Gray and graduated from H.L. Bourgeois High. He was 19 when he joined the Sheriff’s Office, inspired by his crossing-guard grandfather.
Mike Bergeron remembers his skinny young brother wearing an ill-fitting patrolman’s hat on his first day. He feared for his younger brother’s safety, but saw him grow into the position.
Timothy Bergeron spent Saturday night riding in the Krewe of Aquarius parade, arriving home about 2 a.m. Sunday, Kate
said.
He awoke three hours later and headed out to escort the Krewe of Titans floats from the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center to the staging area at the Southland
Mall.
As he dressed, Kate said, she told him she loved him and to be careful.