Fallen Delaware Trooper Honored 62 Years After Death

Cpl. LeRoy L. LeKites (Photo: Delaware State Police) 
  
SELBYVILLE, Del. - More than 60 years after his death, a Delaware state trooper was honored for making the ultimate sacrifice.

On Thursday, state police unveiled a marker along Route 113 north of Selbyville in memory of Cpl. LeRoy LeKites, 31. The trooper, a six-year veteran, was struck and killed at the scene in 1950 as he tried to flag down a speeding vehicle.

"The dedication itself is very important," said Wilson LeKites, who was 10 when his father was killed in the line of duty. "It makes us very proud."
 
Nearly two dozen troopers lined up for Thursday's services. Children placed flowers underneath the marker.

Police said LeKites had stopped to assist a fellow trooper at the scene of a crash; he was struck and killed by another vehicle approaching the area at a high rate of speed.

"We want to honor the family but also his memory," said Capt. Sean Moriarty, commander of Delaware State Police Troop 4 in Georgetown.

The trooper left behind a wife and two young sons. After his death, wife Margaret LeKites told police in a letter, "I'm proud that LeRoy was a trooper and I'm so glad that he had those happy six years as one of such a wonderful group of men."

Moriarty said the details are sketchy over the fate of the driver who hit LeKites. The captain said the man served some time in prison and left Delaware afterwards.

A family friend led the effort to erect the sign, a process that took about a year, Moriarty said. LeKites' name is already listed on police memorials in the state; the family and police hope the sign alerts drivers of the sacrifice.

"I don't know how you describe it," Wilson LeKites said. "Just makes you very proud."

Similar markers honoring fallen officers are found throughout the Delaware, but not for every trooper killed in a motor vehicle incident while on duty. Moriarty said police are reviewing cases and could add memorial markers in the future.Moriarty said police are reviewing cases and could add memorial markers in the future.

Delaware State Police unveil a memorial marker off Route 113 near Selbyville. (Photo: WBOC) 

 Posted: May 03, 2012 WBOC TV Video Gallery