Georgia crash kills ex-Toledoan

A Toledo native employed by the city of Atlanta's Police Department as a special-operations motorcycle officer was killed in a traffic accident while riding his own motorcycle to work Friday.

Policemen met Officer Timothy Rowe's parents at the Atlanta airport and shut down traffic to give them a private motorcycle escort to their son's home in nearby Marietta, Ga., as a tribute, said Officer Rowe's father, Bruce Brockway of Maumee.

Plans are being made for a similar procession from Detroit Metro Airport to Maumee on Wednesday, when Mr. Rowe's parents are due back from Georgia, Toledo Patrolman Lisa Long said.

"I've never seen an outpouring of support from people like this before," a tearful Mr. Brockway said yesterday. "It's truly amazing."

He said several officers from Georgia who knew his son have told him they plan to drive their motorcycles north to join this area's escort.

Officer Rowe, 25, lost control of his motorcycle at 1:30 p.m. Friday while heading south on I-285 near I-20. He struck a guard rail, then collided with a tractor-trailer rig. He was pronounced dead at Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta police said.

He was a 1998 graduate of St. John's Jesuit High School. After attending Owens Community College, he landed his job in Atlanta three years ago. Within a short time, he worked his way up to Atlanta's unit of motorcycle officers, his father said.

Officer Rowe wanted to return to the Toledo area so he and his wife, Heather, could be close to relatives. On June 19, he took a test to become eligible for employment here, Toledo Sgt. Karen Sue Martensen said.

An Atlanta-area memorial service is being held tomorrow. A funeral in the Toledo area is being planned for Friday. Arrangements are being made by Maison-Dardenne-Walker Funeral Home, Maumee.