Raising Their Spirits

Mike Roach thought his wife, Terry, was taking him to breakfast Tuesday. But when she drove down Rose Drive in Yorba Linda, she stopped the car near the site where, Dec. 22, her husband and his partner, Placentia Police Officer Larry Worden, were thrown from their motorcycles in a traffic accident.

Roach smiled. Instead of a painful deja vu at the site where broken glass still mingles with asphalt, balloons, a brightly decorated banner and applause greeted the injured officer and his family. About 70 community members had joined area officers and Placentia City Council members for a surprise rally near the crash scene in front of Rose Drive Elementary School. The accident, which occurred when a car apparently cut in front of the officers and struck them, is under investigation.

Dozens of supporters signed the 60-foot banner reading, “We Love You Larry & Mike.” The banner will hang near City Hall today and remain near the Civic Center until Worden comes home from the hospital, rally organizers said.

“The reaction from the community has been overwhelming,” said Roach in a faint voice. “The citizens of Placentia and the surrounding communities care about their police officers. And now, I’m going to feel guilty when I’ll have to write tickets to these people.”

Roach is still recovering from back and shoulder injuries and doesn’t know when he’ll return to work. But he said that when he does return, he hopes it will be to the motorcycle division. “I asked for a new motorcycle when I was in the [emergency room],” he said. “I went down hard and knew the bike was totaled, so I asked the city for a new one.”

Worden remains in serious condition at UCI Medical Center in Orange with severe head injuries. Doctors are optimistic about his chances for a full recovery, said Matthew Reynolds, Placentia police services manager.