I have been a Corrections Officer in Ohio for a little while now and as most people can imagine, you see a little bit of everything.

Whenever someone new comes in to serve their jail sentence, I have to book them into the jail where I also talk to them and get a sense of their personality.

This particular man told me of his massive run of bad luck which eventually ended with him in this position.

He got into a fight with his wife that will most likely end in a divorce and drove off angrily into the night.

Unfortunately, he drank literally one too many before he left and he totaled his car in a ditch which resulted in his arrest.

Now, I must have heard a MILLION sob stories from people who got busted, but for some reason…

I felt really bad for this guy.

During the booking the man unexpectedly began to cry so naturally, I asked him what he was crying about.

He told me that his wife was going to leave him because of his drinking problem and that he said some things to her that he believed he couldn’t take back.

I said, “ You’re not a bad man, you just made a mistake.

I’m not here to judge you for anything that you’ve done.

We all make mistakes and we’ve all said something in anger that we later regretted.

In a couple days when you get out of here, apologize to your wife and work it out.

I can’t guarantee she’ll forgive you, but I will guarantee that an apology will make a huge difference to her. "

The man looked up at me in shock and said, “ You’re the first person I’ve met in law enforcement who cares about my side of the story.

All they see is a miserable drunk.”

When the man was released a few days later, I noticed him walking out the door as my shift was ending and I remembered that he totaled his car.

His house was at least 10 miles away from my facility and he just started walking.

I hopped in my car, still in uniform, and pulled up next to him. I said, “ You want a ride " ?

He hopped in and nearly cried with relief.

When I dropped him off I shook his hand and wished him good luck.

To my surprise, he shook my hand and hugged me with the other, then said, “ Thank you… thank you for your kindness.

I wish there were more officers out there like you.”

I drove home knowing that I helped that man with his personal problem and I restored some of his faith in law enforcement.