Paralyzed Ex-Deputy’s Children Carry On : Badge Handed From Father to Son

Five years ago, former Orange County Sheriff’s Deputy Ira Essoe’s career was cut short when he was shot and paralyzed while trying to arrest a trio of car thieves.

Thursday evening, the ex-deputy and proud father pinned the department’s six-pointed badge on his son, Antony Essoe, during sheriff’s academy graduation ceremonies.

But Antony, 20, or Tony, as he is known, isn’t the last Essoe to choose a career in law enforcement. Antony’s older brother, Ira, will graduate from the sheriff’s academy in March. And a sister, Ramona, 19, expects to join the department’s correctional system in a few weeks.

“I’m definitely proud of them,” their father said before Antony’s graduation ceremony, held at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station on Thursday evening.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to see them doing so well. I’m going to pin them all, at least I hope all three,” he said.

On Nov. 6, 1980, Essoe and another deputy, Greg Brown, approached three men who were trying to steal a car in the Orange Mall parking lot. Essoe said he didn’t think the men were armed. Then it happened.

Brown was forced to the ground at gunpoint. Essoe fired shots at the three, trying to protect his partner. When the shooting ended, Essoe was the only one hit.

He is believed to be the only county deputy in 25 years to have been permanently injured in the line of duty. A wheelchair and nagging pain in his back where bullet fragments remain are constant reminders of the events that occurred on that November day.

2 Appeal Convictions

Two of the three men convicted of attempted murder in his shooting have asked the Orange County division of the 4th District Court of Appeal to reverse the most serious counts in their convictions, each using different arguments to support claims that they did not receive a fair trial. A decision is pending.

Robert Strong, 24 at the time of the shooting, is serving a state prison sentence of 17 1/2 years. David Knick, who was 23 then, was sentenced to 16 2/3 years. The third man, David Vogel, 33, who had fled on foot, was captured, pleaded guilty and was given a concurrent sentence with a sentence in a bank robbery conviction.

For Essoe, 45, the transition from an active police officer’s life to a sedentary one has been difficult.

But he was a popular deputy, and friends rallied around him and his wife, Ramona. Deputies, with the help of the sheriff’s advisory council, set up a special fund to help buy Essoe a car equipped with special controls. Later, they raised thousands of dollars and helped install a swimming pool Essoe could use for therapy in the backyard of his Westminster home.

“They put that in with their own little deputy hands,” he said.

Essoe said his children grew up in a household often filled with fellow deputies who spent long nights reliving and enjoying the camaraderie of the uniformed ranks.

“I loved it. If I could, I’d go back in a minute,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong,” said Essoe, who now works as a sales manager. “I like what I’m doing now.”

“This is what I’m doing because I can’t be a cop.”

His son Antony said that being around his father and his friends did contribute to his decision to become a deputy sheriff.

Understands the Dangers

“I’ve been raised around it, and a lot of the people I knew in law enforcement were all people I really liked, and I decided that it was something I really wanted,” he said.

Antony said he understands the dangers of the job.

“I’ve considered that. But the thing that happened to my dad was a pretty rare occurrence. Just one of the dangers that you know is there, but if you do, you react the way you’re trained to avoid getting hurt.”