Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. You will find the story here that inspires the members of the Berks County Sheriff's Department who are participating in this ride.

I am Sergeant Matthew Mendenhall of the Berks County Sheriff’s Department. On June 29, 2011, our department lost one of it's own when Deputy Kyle Pagerly was shot and killed in the line of duty by Matthew Connor. I am participating in this ride to honor the memory of our fallen Deputy Kyle Pagerly as well as all who have died before and since then.

Deputy Pagerly was a military police officer in the Balkans and Iraq. He was also volunteer firefighter for Spring Township Fire Department. But the 28-year old Deputy’s most dangerous job might well have been his last. Deputy Pagerly was working in the fugitive warrants division, when he was fatally shot with a semi-automatic AK-47 rifle by a man wanted by a U.S. marshal's fugitive task force. Pagerly was the first Berks County deputy killed in the line of duty.

The gunman, Matthew M. Connor, who was dressed from head to toe in camouflage, was shot and killed by law enforcement officers near his home. Pagerly who was one of two K-9 Deputies in the Sheriff’s Department went with troopers, federal marshals and other deputies to look for Connor at his parents' house. The team went outside into a wooded area to look for Connor. As Pagerly crested a hill with his K9 partner Jynx, Connor stood up holding an AK-47 rifle. Pagerly, who was wearing a ballistic helmet and body armor, ordered him to drop the rifle and gunfire erupted. Pagerly was struck by several rounds, and at least one shot missed his armor and entered his chest. His K9 partner, Jynx, was beside him and grabbed Kyle by the pants after he was shot and dragged him out of the line of fire in an attempt to get him to safety.

Deputy Pagerly is survived by his wife Alicia. At the time of Deputy Pagerly's death, his wife Alicia was 2 months pregnant with their first child.

On May 7th, 2012, I will be riding my bicycle in Deputy Pagerly's Honor from the Berks County Courthouse in Reading, Pa to New York City, On May 8th, I will be riding from NYC to Atlantic City NJ to join with the Police Unity tour where on May 9th, I will leave from Atlantic City NJ and bicycle with the Unity Tour into the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington DC to honor our fallen brother Deputy Pagerly and many other Law Enforcement Officers killed in the line of duty during 2011. Overall, I will be riding my bicycle over 400 miles on this journey. 

www.co.berks.pa.us/Dept/Sheriff/Pages/DeputyKylePagerlyMemorialPage.aspx