RIVERSIDE (CNS) - A memorial fund established in honor of the Riverside-based California Highway Patrol officer killed by an alleged drunken driver over the weekend is accepting donations to assist his family, it was announced Monday.
``Please keep Sgt. Licon's family, friends and colleagues in your thoughts and prayers as we mourn this heartbreaking loss,'' according to a CAHP statement. ``One hundred percent of all donations received will go directly to Sergeant Licon's wife and two children.''
The CHP held a bell-tolling ceremony at its Sacramento headquarters Monday in a salute to the lawman, and flags across the state were ordered to half-staff by the governor in recognition of his death.
The California Association of Highway Patrolmen Credit Union is accepting donations online at https://www.cahpcu.org/SergeantSteveLiconMemorialFund, or at the following address: Sergeant Steve Licon Memorial Fund, CAHP Credit Union, P.O. Box 276507, Sacramento, CA 95827-6507.
Licon, 53, of Perris, was conducting traffic enforcement on his CHP motorcycle about 4:25 p.m. Saturday when he was fatally struck, allegedly by 36- year-old Michael Joseph Callahan, on southbound Interstate 15, about 1.5 miles north of Nichols Road in Lake Elsinore, according to the CHP.
Moments before, Licon had stopped the driver of a Chrysler sedan for
an unspecified traffic violation, and he was on the shoulder of the freeway
when Callahan approached from behind, allegedly plowing into the lawmen, his
bike and the Chrysler, investigators said.
The gravely injured victim, who had served 28 years with the Highway
Patrol, was taken to Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, where he died
less than an hour later.
Callahan, who was treated for minor injuries, was booked into the
Robert Presley Jail in Riverside on suspicion of second-degree murder and
driving under the influence. He's being held without bail.
The family of four in the Chrysler was not hurt.
Licon, who had previously held positions in the Baldwin Park and Santa
Ana CHP offices, is survived by his wife, Ann, daughter Marissa and
stepdaughter Kelly. He had been assigned to the Riverside CHP office since
2013, according to the agency.
The Riverside County District Attorney's Office is expected to file a
criminal complaint against Callahan Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning. The
earliest he would appear in court is Wednesday afternoon.
