Et cetera : Three arrests, then friendship: How motorcycles strengthened the bond between deputy, Van Wey

Scott Van Wey, center, participated in the Garrison Poker Run. Mark Phippen, who had arrested him for making meth years ago, is the friend who took this photo. Can coozies and bandanas in honor of Scott Van Wey will be available during the Sept. 16 fund-raiser. Among the organizers of the Sept. 16 benefit for Scott Van Wey are his friends, some close relatives, fellow motorcycle enthusiasts and one person whom a decade ago, Van Wey would not have imagined becoming his friend some day: The man who arrested him three times for making meth. "You won't find a guy with a bigger heart," says Mark Phippen, the Benton County detective who arrested VanWey on Dec. 21, 2005, Feb. 9, 2006, and again on March 10, 2006, for making meth near his home. Now that he's facing terminal cancer, Van Wey gave Phippen permission to share his story, hoping that even if it helps one person who has faced challenges like him, it will be worth it. "Only one in 10 people escape meth addiction, and Scott was the one," Phippen said, adding that Van Wey was able to get away from meth after jail and drug treatment programs. After Van Wey's release from prison, the officer would often see him during his lunch break at McDonald's. Through many chance meetings like that, the three-time arrester and arrestee soon became friends. Motorcycles helped the friendship grow stronger this summer. Phippen ended up joining Van Wey and other friends on the Garrison Poker run through several area communities in July. Phippen said he had not ridden a motorcycle for years, but agreed to join Scott and other friends on the ride, and was very glad that he made that choice. "I was on Cloud Nine after that," Phippen recalls. Phippen says Van Wey was just ending his time on probation/parole, and had been looking forward to a life of complete freedom, when he was suddenly confronted with a diagnosis of terminal thyroid cancer -- a type so rare that doctors at the Mayo Clinic said they have only seen once before. "Scott says he has to fight this, so he is doing chemotherapy," said Phippen, adding that doctors have told Van Wey that the unique nature of his cancer make it hard to predict if, or how well, it will respond to treatment. Phippen is one of the organizers of the Sept. 16 "Live to Ride the Van Wey" event, which includes a motorcycle ride, and a day full of music and activities, including a live auction, at Celebration Park. He has also donated two etched stones with motorcycle themes for the auction which will help pay medical bills and other expenses. "It's not just for motorcylists; it's for the whole community," says Phippen of the event. Michael Claire and other musicians are planning on playing under the name "Van Weylen," a tribute to Van Wey's last name and love of rock-n-roll. Music will begin at around 1 p.m. and go until 11 p.m. A free-will dinner will be available, along with other activities. Phippen, who says that Van Wey is one of only three people he has arrested three times during his long career in law enforcement, said the two have developed a unique friendship, and can even laugh, at least a little, about the lifestyle choices that led to their first meeting. Phippen has even agreed to help tear down the old building where authorities accused Van Wey of using to make meth. Harley Davidson-themed decorative stones are among the items donated for the live auction. During the Garrison Poker Run, the two were with the group at Phat Alberts bar in Brandon. "Scott was still on probation then, so he was not allowed to drink, or even go into a bar," Phippen recalls. "We were standing outside the bar in Brandon, when they drew his name for a door prize." Van Wey walked into the bar just far enough to grab the prize in a paper sack and then walked back outside. He opened the package and started to laugh. Then he said something to Phippen and they both laughed at something that, until now, was an inside joke nobody around them would have gotten: "I just won a cook book and I don't even cook any more," Van Wey told the deputy. See an earlier story with event details HERE. Those who cannot attend the event but want to help may donate to the Scott Van Wey benefit fund at Farmers Savings Bank & Trust-Vinton. Checks should be made to The Scott Van Wey Benefit.