Published on Tuesday, February 14, 2006
in the Bradenton Herald

Top cop

EAST MANATEE - Like most jobs, John Edwards' 20-year stint as a Florida Highway Patrol trooper has had its ups and downs. But one of the highest periods of the position wasn't exactly part of the job description.

More than 15 years ago, while patrolling First Street near the Red Barn Flea Market, Edwards made a routine traffic stop after he witnessed a couple of cars performing illegal U-turns.

The female, who was driving a Peugeot, immediately questioned Edwards as he approached the driver's side window.

"She asked why I stopped her when someone else had done the same thing," Edwards said. "I told her that she was the last one, and I got her."

The thirtysomething female sweet-talked Edwards out of the $70, three-point ticket, but she wasn't free to go just yet.

"I had her address on the ticket and then I got her phone number," Edwards said.

Not long after, Edwards and Altemease had their first date, which eventually led to the exchange of wedding vows.

Altemease, who was accompanied by her son during the traffic stop, admits she was immediately attracted to Edwards.

"As he walked up to my car I told my son, 'Oh, he's kind of cute,' " she said.

Career choices

Edwards first realized he wanted to become a trooper when he was in the military, where he worked as a mechanic, commander officer driver and a mail clerk. He knew he wanted to enter the law enforcement field and later narrowed it down to being a trooper.

"They're (military and trooper) both somewhat like a family," he said.

However, there are still those nearly unbearable low points when Edwards, who patrols most of Manatee County's roadways, is faced with the worst of the worst. After all, accidents are his specialty.

"When I was working as a traffic homicide investigator in Lake City I had to work an accident with six fatalities. Four of them were Stetson University students and the other two were adults from Sarasota," Edwards said.

With nearly two decades under his belt, Edwards has seen it all. And with those sometimes gruesome sights, he must make time for stress relief when he's not on the job.

"Everything I do when I'm off is to relieve stress - to take a break from it all," he said.

Edwards resides in east Manatee County, a few miles east of Interstate 75 off State Road 64. With the constant scene of traffic during work hours, there's not a better place for Edwards, a native of north Florida, to relax.

"It's not as crowded as downtown right now and I'm from the country. It brings back memories," he said.

During his time off, Edwards ditches the clean, ironed uniform and is often spotted sporting shorts, jeans, tennis shoes and at times, even a straw hat.

His favorite pastimes include gardening, playing basketball, riding his motorcycle and restoring hot rods.

Green thumb

Edwards slid into his teens with quite an original hobby - gardening. While other kids in the neighborhood were watching television or playing a game of sandlot baseball, Edwards was getting down and dirty in the garden.

"I loved being outside," Edwards said. "When my dad was planting a garden, I started my own little garden next to his and we'd have a competition."

Nearly 40 years later, Edwards still enjoys gardening, a characteristic Altemease loves most about him.

"He loves to do it and he does a real good job," she said. "It's fine with me."

He grows collard greens, okra, watermelon, squash and tomatoes. There's usually more than enough to feed he and his wife, so the leftovers are given away, a practice he's continued since he was little.

"My wife always tells me I should sell them, but I always give them away," Edwards said.

One of Edwards' other loves is basketball.

He and 15 others play at the Boys and Girls Club and the YMCA two times a week. They play for fun, but they also compete in leagues.

"We always come in first or second place, never under third," Edwards said.

Edwards also enjoys his alone time. During this period he rides his motorcycle or restores hot rods, a job he likes to do all by himself, he said.

Although, in the past, working alone has gotten him into trouble.

"Once I was restoring a 1970 Camaro in the utility room. Problem was, I didn't think of how I was going to get it out of the utility room when I was finished," he said.

With a quick transfer of his lawn mower engine, Edwards was on his way.

As for the future, Edwards plans to continue his trooper duties. It sure beats his first job as a kid, working in a tobacco field.

"It didn't pay much, but I enjoyed being with the other kids," he said.

And if Altemease is ever pulled over by her husband, odds are he will be sent straight to the dog house.

"I would ask him what he thought he was doing," she said.

John Edwards

Age: 50

Local residence: east Manatee County, off State Road 64

Occupation: Florida Highway Patrol trooper

Birthplace: Bristol (just outside of Tallahassee)

Family: wife of 14 years, Altemease, 51; stepson, Leron Williams, 30; grandsons, Dyron Williams, 10, and Eric Williams, 6