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February 28, 2006

He survived Iraq - UPDATED

CHP Officer Gregory John Bailey was killed Saturday by a drunk illegal-alien driver on Interstate 15 not far from the Cajon Pass.

Members of Bailey's family, which includes wife Teresa and four young children, were gripped in grief in the aftermath of the shock that the National Guardsman, who had returned in November from a 14-month tour in Iraq, was killed on Interstate 15 by a suspected drunken driver's 1991 Honda Accord.

"Shock, just a feeling of disbelief,' said Aimee Bailey, 35, of her older brother's death.

"For 14 months we prayed for his safe return (from Iraq), then to come home and get killed by a drunk driver is just mind boggling," said Bailey, who was en route to Southern California from her Charlottesville, Va. home Monday morning.

Bailey's brother-in-law, Mike Walker, said the family was struggling with the twin burdens of grief and funeral arrangements. He said they have not reconciled the sad irony of Bailey's surviving harrowing service in Iraq, where he was part of a Blackhawk Helicopter repair squadron, and abrupt death on comparatively tame Southland freeways.

"In Iraq, he was flying into war-zones to repair helicopters, under gunfire all the time," Walker said. "The hardest thing is that he was killed by a drunk driver."

The CHP has suffered six fatalities since just last September, an unprecedented string in its 76-year history.

That doesn't count non-fatal incidents, such as last November when CHP Officer Marlin Eugene Pressley Jr. was gunned down along Interstate 15 in Ontario by illegal alien Jaime Zavala Garcia.

Bailey's killer will be arraigned this afternoon in Victorville on vehicular manslaughter and DUI charges. Bail is requested at $1 million.

UPDATE Esqueda was arraigned Tuesday afternoon. He was appointed a public defender and a translator and pled "not guilty" to all three charges. A $1 mill bail was set and the INS put a hold on him. He'll be back in court for pre-pre on 3/7 with preliminary hearing set for 3/9.

Tuesday afternoon also saw a contingent of Officer Bailey's fellow officers from Rancho Cucamonga (including our liason) accompany his body back from the coroner's to the funeral home. Officer Bailey's viewing is Thursday and his funeral will be on Friday.

Trackbacked to Digger's Realm

Posted by Darleen at February 28, 2006 12:52 PM

Comments

Crap. I just found this site and the first thing I find is this story... and just when depression seemed to be going out of style a grim reminder of how if they (libs) can't get you by legislating away your training and supplies... they'll keep a loser on the street to do their dirty work.

A prayer and a salute for Officer Bailey.

Posted by: Infidel Castrol at March 1, 2006 04:11 PM