Good father, good son, good cop.

These six words became a litany Sunday night as friends described Michael C. Weigand, 25, a part-time sergeant with Latimore Township Police Department and full-time patrolman with Eastern Adams Regional Police Department.

The son of Latimore Police Chief Michael E. Weigand, Weigand died Sunday morning when the 2000 Kawasaki police motorcycle he was riding was hit by a Ford F-250 truck during a benefit ride of the Blue Knights, an international motorcycle club for law enforcement officers, to raise money for Latimore Township Park.

The driver of the truck, Earl M. Wright, 43, of 165 Gothier Lane, Grantville, was following another vehicle east on state route 234 when the vehicle slowed down for a marked police vehicle approaching in the westbound lane. Police said Wright did not see the vehicle slow down, applied the brakes, lost control of the truck and skidded across the road into the westbound lane where it hit Weigand.

Weigand was pronounced dead at the scene. An investigation is continuing.

Sunday night, fire trucks and marked police vehicles sat outside the home of Weigand's parents as friends and family gathered to support the family and one another.

"He had an outstanding reputation in this town," said Latimore Township Supervisor Daniel Worley. "He was an outstanding person, loved by everyone. It is a tremendous loss not only to his family, but to the people who worked with him."

Worley spoke shortly after he and Emergency Management Coordinator Dave Reeber put the township flag at half mast Sunday evening.

The ride was a combination of two things Weigand loved: Police work and riding motorcycles. Weigand owned a Honda Shadow, said Lt. Mike Trostel of Eastern Adams Regional, and the two would occasionally ride together. But Weigand spent more of his time working in the community and being a father to his 3-year-old daughter, Lanie, with wife Amanda.

"She's 3 years old and just liked being with daddy," Trostel said. "He'd bring her into the office occasionally. Lanie was always number one."

Weigand graduated from Bermudian Springs High School in 2002 and went straight to the police academy, joining what was then the Latimore-York Springs Regional Police Department where he remained until the department discussed disbanding.

At that point, he became a full-time officer with Eastern Adams in May 2006. Weigand also served with the Liberty Fire Co. of East Berlin and as the DARE officer for Bermudian Springs School District.

"He's one of those who knew how to be a cop before he became a cop. It must have been there were more ups than downs when dad came home," Trostel said.

With Weigand on the street, Trostle said, he never lost any sleep. A conscientious officer who worked to make sure everything in his reports was correct, Weigand knew how to do everything and if he did not know how, he knew who to ask, Trostel said.

To Trostel, Weigand was more like family.

"He was very much a brother in the law enforcement community," Trostle said. "We would have many little chats in my office. He made my days turn better."

Patrolman Todd Dunlap, who worked with Weigand for both departments as well , agreed.

"He could bring sunshine on a rainy day," Dunlap said.

Weigand developed the reputation for being a practical joker, leaving confetti in briefcases, shoes and uniform pants.

Many of the men who knew Weigand knew him as a teen and said not much had changed in the years they knew him.

"He was a big kid at heart. When he had to get serious though, he got serious," said Liberty Fire Chief Mike Grim.

He took the job seriously. Dunlap related a story from when Weigand once argued with a Gulf War veteran.

"He got into it with the vet and the vet said, 'You never served,' and he said, 'I serve every day,'" Dunlap said.

Some in the community saw that service first-hand.

Stephanie Miller, of Lake Mead, lived near Weigand. Her family got to know the Weigands very well when their daughter, Kyla Miller, was undergoing treatment for brain cancer.

The Weigands learned of Kyla's illness through the charity work of the Blue Knights.

Miller said Sunday night that Weigand's mother organized a charity ride for Kyla, and his father stopped by every week to see how they were doing.

Weigand helped out, too, Miller said. It was his idea to get all of the local chapter members of the Blue Knights to sign a motorcycle helmet for Kyla and present it to her as a gift. The day of the charity ride, they got a picture of Kyla wearing that helmet.

Kyla died a year ago, a few days shy of her 10th birthday. Miller said her family keeps the helmet in a display case. The Millers will never forget what Weigand did for them, she said.

From time to time, when he was walking around the neighborhood, he would check in on them to make sure everything was all right, Miller said. She described him as fun-loving and "a prankster" but very kind.

"He was just very warm," Miller said. "Very sincere."
Source The Evening Sun