Police step in for bride’s father-daughter dance in place of dad who died chasing a suspect

Mikayla Wroten of Crown City, Ohio, had a lovely Oct. 14 wedding.

But one important thing was missing: her father, David Poling, a Marine and former probation officer who died while chasing a suspect in 2007.

In his absence, she carried a bouquet with his photo down the aisle with the words, “Walk with me today Daddy.”

His Marine Corps portrait and boots were also sitting “where he would have been,” Wroten, 19, told ABC News of making sure her beloved dad was present on her big day.

But it was her father’s former police colleagues who gave her the biggest reminder of him. They stepped in one by one to surprise her with a special wedding dance, dressed in uniform, to ensure the bride knew he was with her in that touching moment.

“The first cop walked out, he was a state trooper, and I just lost it,” Wroten said of being overcome with emotion. “Everyone was in uniform and I was just like, ‘Oh, my gosh.’ I fell into his chest and lost it.”

The men were dressed in civilian clothes as guests of the wedding but snuck off to change into their uniforms to surprise her for the touching dance to “I Loved Her First” by Heartland.

“They all took turns dancing with me,” she said. “The sheriff was my dad’s best friend and he danced with me last, so I was super emotional when he danced with me.”

Sheriff Matt Champlin said doing this for his best friend’s daughter “was really important.”

“Each and every one of us carry around a little piece of Dave with us every day,” Champlin told ABC News. “It was important to give that back to her on her wedding day. She knew before we came out he was there with her, but when we walked out in uniform, she definitely knew her dad was there with her.”