Hundreds ride across NC in honor of late trooper

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Thousands turned out Saturday for a ride across the state. The charity ride for for the late Trooper Kevin Conner drew riders from around the country.

“Strong supporter of the thin blue line, a close friend of mine. It was a no-brainer for me,” said Chuck Leavitt, who came out with his motorcycle ministry, Road Riders for Jesus.

Those were just a few of the reasons Leavitt joined the ride for Trooper Kevin Conner. From Greensboro to Wilmington, Leavitt was one of more than a thousand riders.

“Having a personal connection to Kevin kind of drew me in. This is the second law enforcement officer, during my career that I’ve personally known, to fall victim to a homicide due to just his career,” said Leavitt.

Leavitt is a 22-year law enforcement veteran. Conner was one of his trainees. But many riders did not even know Conner.

“God just said ‘Do it. run with it.’ And I did. But we did not expect to have such a massive turnout,” said Brittney Ney, who organized the event.

From the minute she heard of Conner’s death, Ney started planning the event. Ney never met the late trooper.

“Within the first six hours, it was up to a thousand people interested. Because we thought we would raise five, six hundred dollars and have 50 cars,” said Ney.

Ney says she thinks they have raised around $20,000, all for the Conner family.

“People that don’t even know him just love him because of what he was, the type of person he was. It’s amazing the people that he impacted through his law enforcement career and just as a person,” said Leavitt.

Everyone involved says the event shows the comradery and support behind law enforcement everywhere.

The ride was $20 for each vehicle. All of the money from the ride, auction and t-shirt sales will go to Conner’s family.