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Trooper Michael Stewart laid to rest as officers, community pay respects

LATROBE, Pa. (AP) — Hundreds of police officers from as far away as Colorado, Utah and Texas came to the funeral and procession to honor a Pennsylvania state trooper killed when his cruiser collided with a garbage truck last week.

PHOTOS: Funeral for fallen Trooper Michael Stewart

Trooper Michael Stewart III, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash about 2:20 a.m. Friday near Ligonier. The cause is still under investigation.

"You always know that when you get an early call like that, you know it's not going to be good," said the Rev. Robert Byrnes, the chaplain of the Greensburg barracks where Stewart was stationed. Byrnes, speaking at Tuesday's funeral in Latrobe, said Stewart was "truly dedicated to his oath of office."

“If God has state police patrolling the highways of Heaven, I'm sure you'll be one of the very best,” Byrnes said.

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Two Texas troopers gave a flag that flew over that state's Capitol to Stewart's family.

"We're all state troopers. When one of us falls, we all fall," said Texas Trooper Joshua Sneed.

Stewart died a week before his 27th birthday, not far from where he grew up.

He graduated from Greater Latrobe High School in 2008 and Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2012. He became a trooper in 2014 and was assigned to the Chambersburg area before transferring to Greensburg, whose troopers patrol the general area where he was raised.

“He'd give you the shirt off his back, you know, if you needed it. Just a great guy and, you know, his parents should be really proud because they raised a really good guy,” Spencer White, a friend of Stewart, told Channel 11 News.

Stewart's partner, Trooper Travis November, suffered a concussion and a hairline pelvic fracture in the crash. He attended the funeral.

Drums, bagpipes and hundreds of officers were part of a formal procession leading to a private interment service. Members of the community lined the route to pay their respects.

“You want to do what you can, no matter how small the gesture is. In the long run, it’s the support for the family because this is a tragedy for any family, but it is more so when it hits home,” Patty Severa, of Latrobe, told Channel 11 News.

Amanda Dzambo was also among the citizens who watched the procession. She watched from outside her brother's podiatry office nearby.

"I think it's amazing seeing them all together walking up the street. I have chills to see so many people come out for another officer," she said.

Stewart's family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the Troopers Helping Troopers Foundation: 3625 Vartan Way, Harrisburg, PA, 17110, or by visiting trooperstewart.com/trooper_stewart/shop/home.

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