Motorcycle riders honor former Rutland officer Jessica Ebbighausen
RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) - A group of motorcycle riders in the Marble City honoring a former police officer - now continuing on her legacy.
I’m overwhelmed right now we hadn’t even starting registration and we had 40 bikes here so it was pretty cool,” Jeff Houston, the Rutland Moose Lodge “Moose Riders” President said.
Just over a year to the day that 19-year-old Rutland city police officer Jessica Ebbighausen was killed after a head on collision following a police pursuit, motorcycle riders - part of the Loyal Order of Moose in the city - honored the fallen officer.
“We wanted to remember her for a long time, and you know, going forward and this seemed like the best way to go,” Houston said.
The Moose Riders - a group of motorcyclists with the Rutland Moose Lodge - joined up with about 70 other riders from around Vermont and New Hampshire, to take a ride around Rutland County before a memorial outside the Rutland City Police Station.
“It’s a first responder community, so police, fire, ems, they’re all coming today, it’s gonna be a good ride there’s already a lot of people showing up, today,” Tyler Trombley, Rutland Moose Lodge “Moose Riders” VP said.
The riders are hoping to start an annual tradition in the former police officers’ name, Trombley said it’s a cause that has been close to his heart for the past year.
“Well I’m a law enforcement officer in Vermont, so it kind of hit home for me, and I thought we should do something as a club that does stuff for the community and we can’t get any better for the community than something like this,” Trombley said.
“Hopefully we raise some funds for the scholarship fund here and meet a lot of great people and continue this for many years to go,” Houston said.
Riders paid 20 dollars for the day, and any money raised from the ride will be put into a new scholarship fund, benefitting a young adult who has interest in becoming a first responder.
“We would like to maybe see more people get involved in the first responder community, and uh be a good way for a high schooler whose graduating to maybe get, have a little something to fall back on, maybe pay for some schooling,” Trombley said.
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