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Letter to the editor

Lunsford to lead pack of gift bearers

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES, Times Correspondent
Published November 16, 2007

Mark Lunsford, shown with son Gerald, will lead the Ride for Toys, which winds from Wal-Mart to downtown Palm Harbor on Saturday.
	[Times (2006)]

Mark Lunsford has been leading a crusade for tougher penalties against sexual predators since the rape and murder of his 9-year-old daughter, Jessica, in 2005.

He leads again Saturday, this time as the grand marshal of a charity Ride for Toys.

At noon, a procession of motorcyclists will leave the Wal-Mart at U.S. 19 and Alderman Road and wind down to the Palm Harbor historic district on Florida Avenue.

It's all part of the fifth annual Old Palm Harbor Bike Fest, which features a block party, bands, a bike show and - new this year - a custom and classic car competition.

Lunsford, 44, said he has been riding motorcycles since he was 12 and feels most at home with the easy riders.

"It's a community I've hung out with all my life," he said. "Bikers have a real heart. Most people think they just get drunk and do crazy things, but bikers are very caring people. And you never know who's under that leather. It may be a lawyer, a doctor, a dentist."

Lunsford, who also served as grand marshal for last year's event, said he has been riding his Harley all over the country to advocate for a variety of children's causes.

"I put on 40,000 miles in two years," he said.

These days, his hours are filled with running the Jessica Marie Lunsford Foundation (www.jmlfoundation.org), working with various coalitions to protect children, and drumming up support for Jessie's Place, a children's advocacy center in Citrus County.

He is still considering running for political office.

"There's a lot I need to learn and understand about politics first," he said.

On Tuesday, he was scheduled to meet with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss legislation regarding sex offenders. After that, it was on to Virginia for a speech. Last week, he traveled to Kentucky and Iowa.

"Almost every day, I get to make sex offenders' and predators' lives miserable," he said.

His passion comes from his love for his daughter. This year, John Couey was convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing Jessica.

In August, a judge sentenced Couey to death.

"That took a lot off me," Lunsford said. "He's not going anywhere soon."

Although he seems resolute with his new mission in life, his voice still has a quiet sadness.

Lunsford resides on his property in Homosassa but he said he lives out back in a camper, not in the house.

"I eat there sometimes, but I can't sleep there," he said. "It's still hard for me to walk in the same door she left from."

[Last modified November 15, 2007, 23:31:00]