LEO Motorcycle Club Blue Knights to Ride 1,000 miles in 24 Hours in Honor of Jaime Padron

One thousand miles, varied weather predictions, 24 hours. Beginning at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, a small band of Blue Knights will hit the highway on a tour of Texas that both starts and ends in San Angelo.

The rules of the ride are simple: 1,000 miles in 24 hours or less. And if the numbers aren’t daunting enough, the tour includes the majority of Texas, beginning with a stretch from San Angelo to Austin, San Antonio and Houston, before heading up to Waco, over to Big Spring and back to San Angelo.

Google maps puts the route right at 1,056 miles; equivalent to 19.5 hours of riding. The test is one of endurance, and the conditions lend the name: Saturday’s Iron Butt Run will be the first of its kind for the San Angelo chapter of the Blue Knights, but the members say the strain is well worth the cause.

Blue Knights Road Captain Sean Fullerton, a former police officer, came up with the idea for the inaugural run.

“I was riding to Abilene for some training and it dawned on me that Jaime (Padron) is not the first officer that I was friends with that passed away, or was slain in the line of duty,” he begins. “Most of the times, his closest friends will never forget him, his family will never forget him, but in the public eye, those things tend to fizzle out after a while. So as a way to honor his memory every year, I came up with this. When I pitched it to Bryan (Bylsma), I thought this is the least of a personal sacrifice that we can give, like hurting in that saddle for 18 hours, compared to what Jaime gave up for us and the community that he was in at that time.”

Jaime Padron served as an officer in the San Angelo Police Department for 13 years. He and his partner Bryan Bylsma spent four years working the gang unit, before Padron transferred to narcotics and eventually moved to Austin, where he continued his career.

Bylsma recalls his partner with an outgoing demeanor. “He never met a stranger. When we were working it was all business…but I actually had a gang member come up to me and express his condolences after Jaime passed.” Bylsma explained that in gangs, it’s all about respect. The member that had spoken to him had had several run-ins with both Bylsma and Padron over the years, beginning at a young age. The fact that he was compelled to express his condolences says a lot about Padron’s character, Bylsma said. He was approachable and friendly with everyone.

On April 6, 2012, Padron responded to a Walmart on I-35 in Austin where a suspicious male under the influence of alcohol, Brandon Daniel, was shoplifting. Upon arrival, Padron attempted to stop the man, who then began to flee on foot. Padron tackled the man and the two hit the floor, and as a struggle ensued, the man pulled out a gun and shot the officer. No one knew had known that he was carrying a weapon. Officer Padron ended his watch that night in the store.

Since his passing, close friends and family have been working to keep his memory alive.  In October, the City rededicated Rio Vista Park at 2750 Ben Ficklin Road as Jaime Padron Memorial Park. Additionally, a fund was set up to donate $500 to Christoval, where Padron attended school, after his death in his memory.

“Jaime was always about education—that was one of his biggest things,” Fullerton said. For this reason, the riders in Saturday’s Iron Butt Run are not only riding in memory of Jaime, but to honor that memory and do something good for the community.

Since the idea  for the run was presented, members of the law enforcement motorcycle club the Blue Knights have hit the streets, seeking donations and sponsorship for what they hope will become an annual event.

The goal this year is $5,000, and all of the proceeds will go into a special Jaime Padron Scholarship Fund orchestrated through the Area Foundation. The scholarship will benefit one child of current or former law enforcement officers and will provide $1,000 a year to be put toward education.

“If we can help a local student get some money to go to school, because school ain’t getting any cheaper, we can do something positive for our community,” Fullerton said.

Brian Bylsma, President of the local Blue Knights chapter, added, “It doesn’t cost much to go on the run and we knew we weren’t going to get a lot of riders, and the vast majority of the money that we have raised has been from sponsors, people within the local community that have donated money to an individual rider, knowing that the money was going to go to a good cause.”

Also part of the event are Blue Knights Chapters across the state, many of which will meet up for parts of the Iron Butt Run as the entourage enters their area. A chapter out of Williamson County has corresponded with the central Harley Davidson in Austin to organize a barbecue, and proceeds from the plates will go to the scholarship fund.

“It’s not just coordination here, it’s coordination in another town,” Bylsma said. “We’ve got a police escort coming in, when we come into the Harley Davidson, so it’s coordination with the local police department.”

Bylsma said that members of other chapters have shown tremendous support for the run, several passing on phone numbers to contact in case something happens along the way and help is needed.  

As with most motorcycle clubs, the Blue Knights is like a brotherhood. “If a Blue Knight needs something, another Blue Knight is going to help him, no matter where you’re at,” Bylsma said.

And while motorcycle clubs generally come with a negative connotation, the Blue Knights take an extra step to raise awareness of their group’s stance on organized crime.

“On our vests, all of us wear a patch that says 99 percent on the back,” Fullerton says, standing up to show his. “We wear that 99 percent patch for a reason. There are outlaw biker gangs that are up to criminal activity and criminal conspiracy. They are considered to be 1 percent of the motorcycle community. They will identify themselves on their colors with a 1 percent patch. We make sure we wear a 99 percent patch to say that we represent the other 99 percent of all motorcyclists out there that are law abiding citizens.”

The local chapter of the Blue Knights has approximately 31 members, roughly nine of which will be able to participate in Saturday’s run. But even though the ride has been organized by the motorcycle club, not all without cuts or bikes will be excluded.

Johnny Pardon, Jaime’s brother, and Sergeant Matt Baldwin will follow the band in a truck and trailer, hauling Jaime’s bike behind them and flying a flag honoring Padron specially designed for the occasion.

“To the family, especially to my mom and dad, they feel honored that these guys still remember him and hold him dear in their hearts to do the sacrifice that they’re going to do,” Johnny Padron said. “It’s a tremendous feeling for them that he did impact this community and the law enforcement officers here in San Angelo as much as he did.

Neither Johnny nor Baldwin ride motorcycles, but both are looking forward to taking part in the run.

“I’m excited about it,” Johnny continued. “I feel like it’s something that he would have enjoyed. It’s a good benefit for the community and the kids, and it’s something that we’ll remember him by. The whole community’s done a whole bunch for him. We’ve got the park and now we’ve got this, so it’s good.”

Sergeant Baldwin says for him it’s about more than friendship. “To say I knew him very well would be an understatement. When I addressed his murderer in February, I clarified when I said he killed my friend, I clarified that he killed my brother. Although he wasn’t blood, we were very close. Someone’s always looking for the next thing to do to remember Jaime by because we don’t want his memory to die. This idea by these guys is something out of the blue, it is something out of the box, and I am absolutely excited about it.”

The riders in the Iron Butt Run anticipate making it back in a reasonable amount of time, and have planned the trip to include interstates and highways where there will be less speed limit reductions and stops that would slow them down.

For more information on making donations to the Jaime Padron Scholarship Fund, visit the Blue Knights website. On April 10-13, Papa Murphey’s will also be showing their support at the grand opening, by donating 20 percent of all proceeds to the scholarship fund.

For more information on the international Blue Knights chapter, visit their website.