After A Traffic Stop, An Ohio Cop Drove A Grieving Man 100 Miles To Be With His Family
An Ohio police officer went above and beyond the call of duty last weekend, driving a grieving man 100 miles to be with his family after pulling him and his driver over for a traffic stop.
As Inside Edition reports, Mike Ross just wanted to get to Detroit to be with his family. The Indiana man’s teenage sister had died in a traffic accident, and he wanted to get to them as soon as he could so the family could grieve together. Unfortunately, Ross didn’t have a vehicle, so he appealed to his friends. The only friend who took him up happened to be on a suspended driver’s license, so Ross knew he’d have to take a risk. He could either get a ride from his friend who was driving illegally, and hope they wouldn’t get pulled over, or he could take a bus or train and delay being with his family. He chose to ride with his friend.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be the wrong choice. Ross and his friend made their way from Indiana to Ohio, and were about 100 miles away from Detroit when their worst fears came true: they spotted flashing lights in the rearview mirror.
Ross expected the worst: with his friend driving on a suspended license, he knew his driver would go to jail and the car impounded. Even worse, Ross had an outstanding warrant for a petty crime, and he was sure the Ohio cop was going to take both him and his friend to the clink.
“I knew I was going to jail due to a petty warrant.”
Fortunately for Ross, Michigan police weren’t willing to send someone to Ohio to pick him up on a misdemeanor warrant, so he dodged that bullet. But his problems were far from over; his friend was arrested and his car was towed away, essentially leaving Ross stranded in Ohio, hundreds of miles from his home and his grieving family.
What happened next stunned the Indiana man. As he wrote in a Facebook post, the officer, identified as Sgt. David Robinson, heard Ross’ story and took pity on him. The officer asked if he could pray with Ross, then he did something totally unexpected: he drove the man 100 miles to Detroit.
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Once across the Michigan state line, Robinson dropped Ross off at a coffee shop where he was reunited with his family. Before leaving, he asked one more time if he could pray with the Indiana man, before heading back to work in Ohio.
“It was so overwhelming it kind of took me away from my own reality.”
Ross’ family was also taken by the Ohio cop’s staggering generosity; they have invited him to Ross’ sister’s funeral, and Robinson says he plans to attend.
As you are no doubt aware, relations between the police and the public they’re supposed to protect and serve have been strained of late. High-profile police shootings dominate the headlines, and those shootings are often followed by protests. In times like this, it’s important to remember that some police officers go above and beyond the call of duty; it’s just that those stories don’t make the headlines as often as the bad ones do.
Even Mike Ross admits that he himself has some issues with the police. But he says that his experience with Robinson have given him hope, as he wrote on Facebook.
“Everyone knows how much I dislike cops. He gave me hope.”
[Feature Image by Schmidt_Alex/Shutterstock]