An Alabama woman’s 2022 encounter with a law enforcement officer when she was unsure of her path in life yielded the best results.
Abbie Rutledge was driving down a Birmingham highway when she noticed police lights behind her and her heart sank, People reported Saturday.State Trooper J.T. Brown pulled the young woman over for speeding, but she said she had no money to pay a ticket and was working a job that was going nowhere.
To her surprise, Brown said they should talk about the situation, and the pair chatted for around 15 minutes about her career options. They finally settled on Rutledge becoming a nurse.
Instead of a ticket, Brown gave her a warning and wrote, “Promise me you’ll go to scrub or nursing school, and slow down, and I won’t give you a ticket,” on the paper.
During her interview with CBS News, Rutledge said, “As soon as he left and as soon as I got to where I was going I started pushing myself toward that career, and now I’m here.”
Rutledge now has a career as a surgical technician, and her Facebook page describes her as a “Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) at UAB Highlands.”
To make the story even more special, Brown was there the day Rutledge graduated and began her new career path in a job she loves. The young woman said she wanted Brown to see the impression he made on her the day he pulled her over.
However, the special conversation that day made an impression on Brown, too.
“She made my entire career worth it,” he said.
Social media users were quick to comment on the story, one person writing, “Way To Go, Ms. Abbie Rutledge!!! May you continue on with your career in the health field. I would frame that warning and place it on your desk. Trooper JT Brown, thank you for your service to protect. May you stay safe!!!”
“That one excellent cop right there. Sometimes a ticket isn’t the answer. He changed a life and his to. Great story!” another person commented.
