A police officer in Gaston County, North Carolina helped a woman who was caught speeding after he learned the heartbreaking reason she was rushing. She had just received a phone call that her home was on fire.
Latishea Elmore left her empty home for work last Sunday morning. Her four kids were staying with relatives.
While driving to work, she received a call saying her house was on fire. She quickly turned around, driving at speeds up to 60 miles per hour in a 35-mile-per-hour zone when she was stopped by Officer Jesse Freeman, according to WSOC-TV.
She told the officer she didn’t have her license and feared the worst.
Officer Freeman said he then realized it was a God encounter.
“I believe God set our encounter in motion that morning,” he told WSOC. “I could just see in her eyes that something just wasn’t right.”
“I just knew it was over for me,” Elmore said. “I’m like, they are not going to believe me. They probably think I’m making up something to not go to jail.”
Freeman’s sergeant was able to confirm that Elmore’s home was indeed on fire.
Both Freeman and the sergeant could relate to her because in the past their houses burned down just before Christmas as well. When he was a child, Freeman’s home was destroyed by fire. And the sergeant’s home had burned on Christmas Eve last year, according to WSOC-TV.
They made the decision to give her a ride to a relative’s house and on the way there, Freeman prayed for her and tried to keep her calm.
The single mother of four ended up losing everything in her home, but the officer assured her that everything would be ok.
“It just meant a lot,” Freeman said. “The only reason I entered this career is because I generally want to help people.”
“If there were more police officers like him, the world would be a better place,” Elmore said.
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