Vermont state troopers carry the casket of Sgt. Michael Johnson past a color guard following a memorial service in Bradford, Vt., Friday. Roughly a thousand police officers from as far away as Georgia came to pay tribute to the Vermont state police officer killed in the line of duty. Johnson died Sunday from injuries suffered when a car driven by a New Hampshire man slammed into him on Interstate 91 in Norwich. (AP Photo)

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6/22/2003
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Trooper buried
By LISA RATHKE
Associated Press Writer

BRADFORD -- A white banner hung over the main street: "Thank You Mike. You Won't Be Forgotten," it said in green letters.

Hundreds of law enforcement officers from as far away as Georgia stood at attention in formal uniforms in the high school parking lot. Hundreds of police cars lined the athletic field; the distinctive green of the Vermont State Police cruisers filling the front row. The sound of bag pipes rose from a corps of Massachusetts state police troopers dressed in blue plaid kilts.

Inside the high school gym Friday were another thousand people, drawn from the many worlds of Mike Johnson's life.

Johnson, 39, died Sunday, the first state police officer to be killed by someone else in the line of duty in the half-century history of the Vermont State Police.

His family, his friends, teammates from his basketball teams, high school players he coached, neighbors, colleagues and Vermont's political leaders filled the basketball court and bleachers of the school where Johnson had just been named head basketball coach.

"He was a model citizen, father, husband, son, coach, trooper and human being," Gov. James Douglas told those assembled Friday.

"A giant of a man has left us and we must all work hard to live up to his example."

Johnson was remembered as a dedicated state trooper, a fun and loving man who was active in the community and a star athlete.

Public Safety Commissioner Kerry Sleeper said Johnson's death brought out the solidarity among members of the force in Vermont and police around the country.

"The senseless act of violence against any one of us is truly a senseless act of violence against every one of us," Sleeper said. "Mike's tragic death has brought our family as close as it's ever been."

After remarks by Johnson's best friend and three siblings, bagpipes played as Johnson's flag-draped casket was carried to the burial site.

Johnson had been trying to stop Eric Daley, 23, of Lebanon, N.H., who had sped away from a police stop on Interstate 91 in Thetford, authorities said. Johnson, alerted by radio, pulled into an interstate turnaround a few miles south and placed a spike strip in the highway to deflate Daley's tires.

Daley, however, swerved into the median and struck Johnson, police said. The state police sergeant died at a hospital a short time later.

Daley escaped on foot and was captured Tuesday in Pennsylvania. He was arraigned in Vermont Thursday and was held on $300,000 bail. He pleaded innocent to charges that included leaving the scene of a fatal accident, attempting to elude police and drug possession.

State troopers from around the country stood in formation as taps played at Johnson's burial. Among those attending were the Pennsylvania troopers who caught Daley.

"It's rewarding that we caught him but we have heavy hearts because of what he did," said Richard Nesbitt, one of the troopers. "We came for the bond of brotherhood and that's why we are here. We have heavy hearts, very heavy hearts."

Johnson lived in Bradford with his wife Kerry, daughter Reilly, 12, and sons Grady, 7, and McKendrick, 5.

He graduated in 1982 from Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans where he was a standout basketball player, scoring more than 1,000 points. He went on to play basketball at Norwich University and then the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Back in Vermont he joined the state police and coached high school basketball at Mount Mansfield High School in Jericho and at Whitcomb High School in Bethel, winning the state championship at that school in 1997.

Johnson also ran a disc jockey business - Magic Mike DJ - and played music at local dances and weddings.

The last Vermont state trooper to die in the line of duty was Sgt. Gary Gaboury, who drowned May 12, 1992, while attempting to retrieve the body of a college student from the Huntington Gorge in Richmond.