Jessie's Ride draws smaller pack of riders

Mark Lunsford, who may sue over his daughter's death, is cheered.

By Tom Marshall , Times Staff Writer
Published February 24, 2008

With a police escort, Mark Lunsford, on second bike from the right, leads motorcycle riders in Jessie's Ride as they arrive at Harley-Davidson of Crystal River on Saturday afternoon. About 487 riders were registered for the annual event. Special report: The Jessica Lunsford tragedy
	[Photo by Will Vragovic]

ADVERTISEMENT [Photo by Will Vragovic] Citrus Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, left, shakes hands after Jessie's Ride with Lunsford, who says he will sue law enforcement. Dawsy says his feelings for Lunsford haven't changed.

HOMOSASSA - A 9-year-old girl disappeared from her bedroom and was lost forever.

That awful fact, and the need to make sense of it, overshadowed all else Saturday, as crowds of well-wishers gathered in this Gulf Coast town to mark the third anniversary of Jessica Lunsford's kidnapping and murder.

Reconciliation seemed hard to imagine Thursday after Jessica's father, Mark Lunsford, announced he would sue Citrus County, the Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

He said those agencies' negligence led, directly and indirectly, to the death of his daughter. Many in Citrus County - including Sheriff Jeff Dawsy, whom Lunsford once praised for finding and arresting her killer - said the lawsuit came as a crushing surprise.

But on Saturday the two men shook hands, chatted quietly for a moment, and then asked the crowd to join them in protecting children from abuse.

"My feelings will never change," Dawsy told the St. Petersburg Times, saying he would always identify with Lunsford's loss. "I know what they went through."

True, fewer motorcyclists showed up this year for Jessie's Ride, a trek from Pasco to Citrus counties that saw more than 4,000 riders last year. On Saturday there were 487 registered participants, said Warren Hill, manager of Harley-Davidson of Crystal River.

But those who came cheered enthusiastically as Lunsford, Dawsy and others asked for support in raising funds to build Jessie's Place, a planned child advocacy center.

"It's all about pulling people together for the kids," Lunsford said. "That's the only reason we're here."

Rep. Ginnie Brown-Waite said Lunsford's efforts helped change minds in Washington and influenced passage of the federal Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, which stiffened penalties for those convicted of sexual or violent crimes against children.

John Couey, a convicted sex offender, was sentenced to death in August for the rape and murder of Jessica, who was found dead in a shallow grave three weeks after her disappearance.

There was little mention Saturday of the lawsuit, which is expected to be discussed at a Tuesday news conference. Lunsford would say only that it was necessary to fix the system and prevent future crimes.

"I have to do everything I can to get the changes we need," he told the Times.

A few in the crowd following Jessie's Ride said the lawsuit had changed their feelings toward Lunsford, and one woman was ejected from the event by police after angrily questioning him and saying "the people of Citrus County want an answer."

But others said the lawsuit shouldn't be allowed to overshadow the atrocity of Jessica's killing.

"We're here for this one reason," said Claire Miller of Port Richey as her husband, Mike, nodded in agreement. "And that's Jessie."

Tom Marshall can be reached at tmarshall@sptimes.com or 352 848-1431.

[Last modified February 23, 2008, 23:40:26]