Retirement party used to give to food bank

By Tim Yovich

A state trooper has seen the good and bad in people on the highways over the years.

NILES — When Jim Quinlan decided to hold his retirement party after patrolling Trumbull County roads for 25 years as an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper, he chose to give rather than receive.

On Friday, the 51-year-old Quinlan, of Liberty, threw his party at McMenamy’s in Niles, paying $5,000 for the food and drinks out of his own pocket. The 120 guests paid $20 each, bought 22 gift baskets they bid on and bought chances for a 50/50 raffle. The party also served as a surprise 50th birthday celebration for his wife, Susan.

Quinlan didn’t keep the money that was donated because it all went to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Quinlan spent his entire career at the OSHP’s Warren post in Southington.

“There are a lot of families in need and [donations] are kept local,” Quinlan said of the food bank, noting that the agency buys $15 worth of food for each $1 it receives.

This hasn’t been his only fund-raising effort for Second Harvest.

He recalled having six child car seats and deciding to auction them off at Plaza Donuts in Liberty, where he stops for coffee. Those who wanted to participate in the auction were required to bring canned goods. The money and canned goods went to Second Harvest.

“I’ve always enjoyed helping people,” the retired trooper said.

It wasn’t unusual for him to find a down-on-his-luck pedestrian on Interstate 80, drop him off at a Hubbard truck stop and give him $10 or $15.

It’s ironic that he is known to speeders as the “Evil Trooper Quinlan.”

Originally, Quinlan thought of a career in law enforcement but because he had a few speeding tickets as a young man, he didn’t believe the patrol would want him in its ranks.

His aunt, who was in law enforcement, told him the test was going to be given and he decided to give it a try. He has remained at the Warren post during his career.

“To stay at one patrol post is very unusual,” Quinlan said, noting he wasn’t interested in transferring because he wanted to remain with his family in the area.

A Howland native, he graduated in 1975 from Columbiana High School.

During his law enforcement career, Quinlan has come across the best and worst in people.

He recalled an accident on state Route 11 in which an 8-year-old was killed about 10 years ago.

A father was returning from a day out with his two children when he came upon a disabled car being pushed by two people near state Route 305. The father swerved to avoid the stalled vehicle, went across the median and collided with an oncoming car. At the hospital, Quinlan met the boy’s parents and grandparents. The trooper was so moved by their sadness that he and his wife attended the boy’s calling hours. The family was so appreciative that they gave him a pen with his name engraved on it. Since then, Quinlan sees the family and they have coffee together.

And then there are those who don’t care.

Quinlan explained that he was at the scene of a fatal crash about 12 years ago in Mecca Township. The driver responsible for the crash was both drunk and abusive to firefighters, medics and even the tow-truck drivers.

When Quinlan informed the drunken driver he had killed someone, he responded, “I don’t care.”

And then there is the unusual.

Quinlan recalls chasing a speeding motorcycle spotted on Interstate 80 in Hubbard Township. “It took off like a rocket,” Quinlan recalled.

The cyclist was traveling about 80 mph, got off at Salt Springs Road, and easily drove between two boulders onto private property.

Quinlan was fairly certain that he could make it through the boulders with his cruiser. But the cruiser hit wet grass and his car struck one of the rocks. Undaunted, the trooper continued but struck the brick chimney of a house. He used his windshield wipers to clear the bricks from his windshield so he could continue on.

As the pursuit continued, Quinlan hit a natural gas line and he could hear the gas escaping as he drove into a cornfield. In the end, the trooper followed the tracks to find the driver hiding behind the cycle.

The total damage to the cruiser, chimney and gas line was $5,860, which the cyclist ended up paying; otherwise, his bike would have been confiscated to pay the bill.

Quinlan said such a “crotch rocket” bike can reach speeds of 180 mph and easily could have outrun the patrol if only he would have remained on the interstate.

yovich@vindy.com