Motorcyclist killed in Conroe ISD police officer-involved crash was father of young children
Family remembers Conroe man killed in crash involving school district officer
A 24-year-old man died last week after allegedly hitting a Conroe ISD officer's patrol vehicle. FOX 26's Angie Rodriguez spoke to the man's loved ones.
CONROE, Texas - A family is mourning the loss of a 24-year-old Conroe man who died in an accident involving a Conroe ISD police officer.
Conroe crash
The backstory:
Last Tuesday, Conroe ISD confirmed an officer with their department was involved in a fatal crash that resulted in the death of a motorcyclist.
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Conroe ISD police officer involved in deadly motorcycle crash; investigation ongoing
An investigation is ongoing after a Conroe ISD Police Department vehicle was involved in a deadly motorcycle crash Tuesday evening.
The officer was reportedly heading back to the school district headquarters on North Loop 336 East. She was driving northbound on the loop and was turning into the driveway.
At the same time, police say a motorcycle rider was going southbound. When the officer turned left into the headquarters, the two vehicles crashed.
Motorcylist identified
24-year-old Patrick Freeland with his father, Joseph Freeland.
Dig deeper:
The man killed in the crash was identified by authorities as 24-year-old Patrick Freeland.
Freeland was a husband and father to two young daughters, ages two and five.
‘He kept this family together’
What they're saying:
Freeland's wife, Anjel Rodriguez, told FOX 26 that the couple's five-year-old child was informed of her father's passing.
"We're just trying to keep [the children] happy at this time. Even after the fact, just keep them happy because they're so young," said Rodriguez. "We're going to make sure that they remember him."
Freeland's parents also spoke about their son exclusively with FOX 26, sharing that despite the family's troubles, he was also someone they could count on. They called him "the glue that held us together."
"Anything I ever asked him, even when he was a kid, he took to heart, and he took it head on, said Freeland's father, Joseph. "Looking over his little sister, growing up, I told both them boys, ‘Watch over her.' And he kept this family together when I couldn't."
Conroe ISD statement
The other side:
The Source: Family of Patrick Freeland, Conroe ISD Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office, Conroe Police Department.