The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week, we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good!
Today’s Something Good is mercy.
A few days before Christmas, in Somerset, Massachusetts, Patrolman Matt Lima was called out on a shoplifting call. Store employees were detaining two adults, and the two small children accompanying then, on the accusation they had not scanned all their items at the self-checkout.
When Lima pulled aside one of the adults for questioning, he was told the other woman had no job, had family issues, and was just trying to get Christmas dinner for the two young children with them.
Lima had a look at the receipt of the items they were going to pay for – he said there were no health and beauty items, it was all food. In other words, they weren’t purchasing non-food items and stealing the food.
While the Stop and Shop issued the two women a “no trespass” order, the patrolman decided to cut them a break and not press charges. The fact that the two kids with the women were about the ages of his own daughters just didn’t sit right with him.
He told WJAR, “Obviously, this family was in need and I can’t imagine having to make the decision to go to Stop and Shop and just only pay for what I can afford — or do I go there and try to take things for Christmas dinner for the kids?” He continued, “They were very thankful, they were kind of shocked. I’m sure a lot of people in that same situation would be thinking that there was going to be a different outcome, and maybe they would be arrested or have to go to court.”
But Patrolman Lima took it a step further and purchased a gift card of $250 so the family could go to another store and purchase the food properly. He said, “I just did what I felt was right. It’s not about me, I just tried to put myself in that family’s shoes and show a little bit of empathy.”
Lima is not the only LEO to show some Christmas spirit and help someone who tried to skirt the law to obtain food they couldn’t afford. This officer in Texas paid for the items the woman stole instead of arresting her:
And one more feel good story to start off the new year:
Now it’s your turn… Tell me Something Good!
