Two wrongs don’t make a right, but three Wisconsin residents proved that doing the right thing can lead to the most ideal outcomes.
When a hungry 19-year-old stole two packages of crackers from a Green Bay gas station, it didn’t take long for him to realize the error of his decision before he went back to the gas station to pay the $.69 for each one, WBAY reported.
The gas station manager wanted the to hold the teen accountable, so he called police. The teen waited about 30 minutes for the officer to get there, and once he did, he gave the young man a written warning.
But, the teen will probably never forget what the officer did next.
Witness Kris Dhein recalled seeing the teen in tears as he sat in the back of the squad car, she wrote on Facebook.
“I thought perhaps the officer would have drive off with him to bring him home or to the police station,” Dhein wrote.
Instead, the officer, Roman Trimberger, brought the teen back inside the store to buy him food. The teen explained that he was a student had recently moved and was down on his luck. At the time, he only had $4 to his name.
“I took him inside and told him to get whatever he wanted,” Trimberger said. The teen politely declined, though.
Trimberger’s compassion didn’t end there. The next day he brought bags full of groceries to the teen’s apartment to ensure he had plenty to eat.
“I just thought that I could hopefully make a difference in his life,” Trimberger said, adding that it was clear the teen had made an effort to do the right thing.
Trimberger has always wanted to be a cop, he said. He grew up in the community, so he has a “vested interest in it.”
WDAY cameras caught Trimberger and the teen, who did not wish to be identified, embracing in a hug.
“If he needs anything, he can give me a shout,” Trimberger said.