Dave Deuter was killed in the line of duty on July 16, 1998, during a routine traffic stop on the Indiana Toll-Road. He was the first trooper to be killed in the line of duty on the Toll-Road.

Dave Deuter loved kids! In fact, two of the passengers in the car that he had stopped on the Toll-Road when the accident occurred were young children. Dave left behind two grown daughters and two elementary-aged daughters and one granddaughter. His oldest daughter, Laura Spangle is the mother of his granddaughter, Morgan, who is now 8 and resides in Ft. Wayne. His second daughter, Valerie Deuter-Simmons now lives in Mishawaka.

At the time of his death, Dave left behind his wife, Debra, and his two younger daughters, Jacqueline, who is now 10, and Madeline, who is now 9. They reside in Steuben County.

Dave Deuter was always thinking of his kids. On the day of his death, prior to going to work, he had picked up a kitten for Jackie and Maddie to have as a pet. That kitten is now a very important part of the Deuter family, since it was the last gift that they received from their Dad. The family now also includes a Siberian Husky named "Trooper."

Dave Deuter stood for law, order, safety and protection for all residents of Indiana – especially our children. Dave’s love for children will be remembered each year by the renaming this annual essay contest which means so much to his wife and his daughters.

In our daily lives, we all hear of so many negative things about the youth of today. We truly believe as you read the following original essays of the Top Five Essays in this year’s program, you will feel the impact that our association and school officials are having in our student’s lives. Together we will reach our goal of building a better Indiana – one child at a time.

Darren is the son of Curtis and Julie Johnson of Loogootee, Indiana. He is a member of St. John’s Catholic Church. His teacher is Mrs. Anita Hart at Loogootee East Elementary. Darren enjoys little league baseball, roller blading, skateboarding and reading.

Here is Darren’s Statewide Winning Essay:

I choose to lead a drug-free life because I have dreams and goals that I want to accomplish.

I look forward to going to college and having a rewarding job someday. I want to get married and have a family. I want to be active and healthy. I know from everything I have been taught in school and at home, that drugs can only shatter dreams. Drugs can become a nightmare in a very short amount of time.

Life is so precious. I enjoy everyday of my life and consider it a gift. I am thankful for my family, friends, and teachers. I appreciate the beautiful rural area I live in, and my close community. I am content and happy with what I have and with what I hope to have. I am most appreciative of the fact that I will make the right choices and have the courage to be myself.

Life for me is drug-free!

Jim’s essay:

I want to live a drug-free life because I hope to become an architect when I grow up. Architects need to do well in math and science. I hope to go to college and I want to have good grades. Having good grades will help me get a scholarship for college.

I don’t do drugs because I care about my family. I choose to be drug-free because I would like to live long and be happy. I want to keep good relationships with my family. I like having family parties and get-togethers for the holidays. I have fun spending time with my dad and my brother. I like spending time with my cousins in Rochester, Indiana.

I want to have a healthy body. I want to have more energy. I don’t want to lose my job because I don’t have the energy to do it.

I don’t do drugs because I want to live my life to its fullest.

BoDean is the son of Bobby and Jeanette Adams of Charlestown, Indiana. He enjoys country-western music and plays the guitar and sings. He has been a guest on the Little Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Indiana, and has also performed in Tennessee.

BoDean’s essay was entitled: Drugs – The Dead-End Street

I have many reasons for being drug-free. One of the most important reasons is my career. I am a performer. I sing and play the guitar, and one day hope to make it my profession. Many performers ruin their careers by taking drugs, and I won’t let that happen to me. By staying drug-free, I can grow up strong, healthy, and happy and have a very good chance of making my dream of becoming a performer come true.

When I think of life, I think of a bunch of streets, each street representing opportunities in life, As long as you stay drug-free, you can take any street you want but when you take drugs all of those streets become dead ends.

Whitney’s Essay is as follows:

In today’s world, kids are faced with a lot of challenges. I decided a long time ago that my life would not be destroyed by the effects of using alcohol, cigarettes, or illegal drugs.

I have too much respect for myself and my family to even think about using drugs. My little brother and sister look up to me and the things I do. I am setting a good example for them because I love them very much.

Another reason I choose to be drug-free is because I have goals in my life that I will someday reach. I have not decided if I will be a doctor, a scientist, or a social worker, but I know that drugs will not be a part of my life.

Last of all, a big reason I will not ever use drugs is because I believe in God. I can count on Him to show me the way to influence my friends to be drug-free, too. I guess you could say that being "me" is why I choose to live the rest of my life drug-free.

Megan is an honor roll student and has a 3-year old sister. She enjoys singing, writing and acting.

Megan entitled her essay "Good Reasons for Living"

"Why do I choose to be drug-free", I thought out loud. I thought it over for a second and came to a conclusion. I loved living!

I could smoke, but then how could I ride my bike? How could I keep my body healthy and live a drug-free life? I could drink, but how could I keep my good grades. Why would I want to take a chance by drinking and driving? I could do coke, pot, or ecstasy, but I could kill myself and that would be stupid.

Instead, I thought of what I could do that would be a better choice than drugs. I decided I could eat right and exercise. I could love myself and my family. I could be a great friend to everyone and maybe prevent someone who is lonely from doing drugs.

There are thousands of reasons for not doing drugs and each and everyone is a good reason for living and staying drug-free.

These are just a sampling of the 200 essays we received. If you think for a moment our 5th graders are not "thinking"……THINK AGAIN!!!

Our Congratulations to All of Our Participants!