Fairytales do come true: Officer makes it to daddy/daughter dance

Deputy Luke DuCharme with his daughter Ali

By Mary Ann Inman
REPORTER
Deputy Luke DuCharme worked on Saturday, Feb. 4, as on duty law enforcement, assigned to keep the Janesville community, property, and protestors safe. The 500 plus protestors in downtown Janesville remained peaceful.
Luke DuCharme said, “This afternoon, I broke my little girl’s heart. Something no Daddy ever wants to do to his little princess. I had to do something I have had to do on many different occasions with (my wife) Amy, and (my children), Zach, Nate, and Ali…I have disappointed them. This wasn’t because of anything I did, or said.”
His daughter Ali was sitting on the couch. DuCharme had just given her an after school snack. She was watching SpongeBob.
Then, Luke said the words no one ever wants to hear….”Ali, Daddy needs to talk to you for a minute.”
He proceeded to tell Ali, that he did not know if he could take her to the Daddy/Daughter Dance on Saturday night, at the High School.
As tears welled up in her eyes, and her bottom lip began to quiver, she asked in her innocent, shaky voice, the ques-tion he did not want to answer……”why Daddy, why can’t you take me to the dance?”
He swallowed down that lump in his throat, and proceeded to tell Ali why he could not take his little princess to the dance.
He explained, “You see Ali, there are some people coming to Janesville on Saturday, that are really upset with what is happening in our world right now. They are mad at the President. They are mad at our House Speaker. These peo-ple are going to protest in front of Speaker Ryan’s Office. Your Daddy needs to be there to make sure that people are good, and don’t get hurt.”
Ali responded, “But Daddy, I helped you fill out that form, so you could have off of work to take me to my dance?”
“I know honey, and I thank you so much for helping me, but my day was denied, because of this happening…..I am so sorry….”, he responded
With tears flowing down her face, she got off of the couch, and came over to where her daddy was sitting on the floor. She hugged him tight, the way Amy, Zach, and Nate have hugged him before.
An embrace that usually screams, “Daddy, why?”
Luke said, “I wish I had all the answers. I wish I could give her the answer she deserves…..but I couldn’t.”
Then Ali looked up and asked; “but Daddy, don’t they know it is the Daddy/Daughter Dance? Can’t these people be mad another day?”
Deputy DuCharme wished they knew, and wished they could.
As he sat on the floor in embrace,

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