Rewards are Great – sometimes!

BY; Blue Heat 2011


It all started with a simple motorist assist while on routine patrol for the Sheriff’s department…… As an 11 year veteran of the sheriff’s department, I have learned to expect the unexpected, danger can lurk around every hill or bend in the road just waiting to rear it’s ugly head. As being dubbed “The shit magnet” by my fellow officers, very odd things just seem to happen while I am on patrol. I had many situations arise from “routine” patrol that most of my fellow co-workers have never been faced with.
Very intense situations unfold like I had a couple years back while on “routine” patrol on a very similar night. While on these same twisting roads I came across a vehicle parked in a field driveway with the lights extinguished. I could see from the car’s exhaust that it was running but did not see anyone inside as my headlights passed thru the windows, I immediately killed my headlights and radioed dispatch with my location and plate number of the vehicle.
As I exited my squad, I saw a glimpse of movement from the corner of my eye, as I turned my body quickly to get a better view of what I saw, I was tackled to the ground by someone, their momentum was such and my natural instinct was to twist and was able to push them over and I rolled on top of them, I was able to retrieve my weapon from it’s holster and put it directly in their face, I ordered him to roll onto his face and immediately hand-cuffed them. I found it to be a male and appeared to be in his 40’s, very scruffy looking, and had a very pungent odor to him. At the same time of doing a pat-down, radioing dispatch for back-up, and looking around for some other asshole to come out of the woodwork. While searching this suspect, I found a loaded and cocked .40 cal automatic in his pocket. After securing this individual in the squad, I then shinned my flashlight into the back of the suspects car, I saw what appeared to be a large rolling-meth lab.
At this same time I could hear a dull thud noise and a muffled noise from the trunk of the car. I grabbed the keys from the ignition and noticed the same pungent odor that was on the suspect, it made my eyes burn and tear-up. With my weapon drawn, opened the trunk and was more than shocked to see what appeared to be a teen-age female that was bounded, gagged, and stuffed in the very messy trunk. I had learned later that she had been kidnapped a couple days ago from a neighboring state, and that the suspect was wanted for kidnap, sexual assault, and armed robbery. This was the kind of situation that have happened to me many times that earned me my nickname by my peers.

As my work continues on this shift, it was a crisp, middle of the fall night with brighter than usual stars and a surfacey moon glow that lite up the ground.Patrolling the county roads that wind around, up, and through the county, I attempt to contain my focus on driving and being alert for critters that like to wander onto the roads without warning. The police radio was rather quiet for this time of night, almost with an anticipated explosion of incidents. As I continued on my unplanned route, there appeared to be a luminous glow on the trees just over a small incline a few hundred feet ahead, thinking in the back of my mind that this was a very poor spot to stop your vehicle and my heightened sense started to kick in.
After cresting the incline, there sat a smaller white vehicle, partially pulled off the road, but still in a very hazardous area. The car was a newer, sporty BMW that I had never seen in this area before, after pulling directly behind it, simultaneously turning on the spotlight into the back window, turning the red-emergency lights on, grabbing the mic for the radio to call into dispatch, noticing there appeared to be only one occupant, the driver, who appeared to be female, although now a days you can never be real sure about that.
After giving dispatch my location, vehicle description, and plate number, I approached the vehicle with great caution, thinking to myself “why would a flashy car like this be on this road, at this time of night, with just a female driver”? It wouldn’t I said to my self. My eyes were darting from side to side, and watching every move that driver makes. My senses are keen for any particle of something wrong, this just does not look or feel right my mind said.