Nowhere To Go
She couldn't believe that she needed to appear in court. She was overwhelmed with emotions, she couldn't even think of a solution to her problem.
A loud noise appeared out of nowhere. When she looked out the window, she saw the same four boys. As they walked up to her door, her heart started beating faster.
Peaceful Living
75-year-old retired Gerry Suttle lived a peaceful life. Years ago, she purchased a large property which she was enjoying in her retirement.
The property was beautiful, but as she grew older, maintaining the property became a struggle. She longed for her more youthful years and felt embarrassed as neighbors started to notice her limitations.
All Alone
Her property was located in Riesel, Texas and she lived alone. Initially, the property had been everything Gerry wanted in a home, but now it was nothing but effort.
Her husband passed many years ago, and all of her children lived in different states so she had no family around her. Because of this, it was easy to take advantage of her.
Ominous
With the passage of time, Gerry's fondness for looking out over the grass morphed into a cause of fear and anxiety. The overgrown shrubs and trees created an ominous atmosphere. Her instincts would have been unable to detect anything or anyone hiding outside.
She was surrounded with so much space, encountering trouble was almost inevitable.
Persistent Noises
Gerry initially tried to ignore the noises coming from her backyard, believing it was merely a fox messing around. The noise persisted and her body trembled when she realized she was hearing voices.
She could not move because she was terrified. She eventually found the strength to get up and look outside the window. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest...
Trespassers
She noticed four boys crouching behind the bushes. The area was very overgrown and she could not make out what the boys were getting up to, she just knew that it was bad. The boys were trespassers!
Gerry was at a crossroads. She did not want to confront the boys nor did she want to get the authorities involved. She did not have the energy to deal with the cops after what happened.
Grass Too Long
Gerry recently had a negative experience with the authorities. She received a notice claiming that she was breach of property laws and she needed to go to court urgently.
The court demanded she pays a hefty amount as she was not cutting her grass. In the state of Texas, it is illegal to have grass that is longer than 18-inches. If one does not obey this law, you are met with a fine. However, there was one problem.
They Don't Care
Gerry was not aware of the law nor did she receive the first notice demanding her to pay a fine. They admonished her for dodging the fine the first time they contacted her and demanded her presence in court.
They were aware that she was an elderly woman and they were aware that she did not receive the initial notice yet they still wanted her to go to jail for her transgression.
Law Breaker
The Police Chief, Danny Krumnow, did not care about Gerry's circumstances and stated that she was in contravention with the law. Gerry was stunned when the police informed her of the seriousness of her crimes.
Since then, she'd been trying to stay away from them. She was out of alternatives, so she did something that drew the attention of her next-door neighbor.
Considerate Neighbor
Gerry did not stop the boys from going onto her property. She did not mind them being there as they were not going near her house. However, not everyone shared the same opinion as Gerry.
Tom was Gerry's next-door neighbor and took care of her as much as he could. He was an elderly gentleman and that limited the amount of help he could provide her, until this incident.
Security Camera
Unbeknownst to Gerry, Tom noticed the boys creeping in and out of Gerry’s backyard and immediately began to worry for her safety. They were young but secretive, constantly carrying bags in and out of her yard. He had enough.
He grabbed his outdoor security camera and set it up overlooking Gerry’s backyard. What he found was beyond imagination.
Big Discovery
While Gerry sat in her living room, pretending to be oblivious to the commotion in her backyard, Tom was hot on their case.
He turned on his screen and fixated on the live-action. They were completely clueless that someone was watching them. Tom’s jaw dropped as he realized what they took out of their bags.
Word Travels Fast
The boys had brought gardening tools. Every day, the young boys worked on Gerry’s yard piece by piece. Gerry had no idea that word of her possible arrest spread throughout the neighborhood like wildfire. It sparked horror and shock in everyone who heard the news.
How could they possibly arrest an old woman over tall grass? The boys wanted to do more.
Arrest Issued
When Gerry failed to appear in court, a warrant was issued for her arrest. She pondered her options. Gerry was too old and weak to do the work herself and had little money to pay someone else to do it. Tom couldn’t believe his eyes.
And Gerry never expected what would happen next.
One Option
At the edge of Gerry’s expansive land, Tom could see four boys coming toward her house, already inside her yard. He grew nervous and watched as they knocked on Gerry’s door.
When Gerry answered the door, Tom could see her nervous expression as she braced herself for what they had to say.
Young Boys
The boys were young, very young in fact. The oldest could have been maybe 15. Still, Gerry felt uneasy, knowing these boys had been trespassing on her property for days. They started looking around her yard, and that’s when she saw them clearly, these boys had mud and dirt all over their clothes.
Finally, they began to speak.
Tools And More Tools
Two of the boys said hi and disappeared while the other two stayed back. The boys who stayed were holding garden tools: a weed whacker, shears, and some other things. Gerry was frozen, what on earth were these boys doing?
But then she saw the other two boys come around the corner, one of them was pushing a lawnmower.
Effort
Shortly after, the boys began to mow the lawn after explaining that they had already ripped away all of the overgrown weeds. Gerry couldn’t believe what she was witnessing, the boys' effort sent tears down her face.
She has lived there for 59 years and was left speechless after seeing the good deed and was grateful for their help.
Just Go And Help Somebody
The four boys who are brothers told the news why they wanted to help her. “It’s a summer day, we don’t have season passes yet to Warren Falls. What else could we do? Just go out and help some people.”
These young boys' efforts were far more than just cutting grass, they didn’t know they had saved Gerry from prison time.
The Least We Could Do
"She's 75 years old, and she needs some help mowing," said Blaine Reynolds, one of the boys. "That's the least we could do."
Another brother, Brandon Reynolds also added; “I really wouldn't want her coming out here and doing it or paying someone else when we could have just done it for free.”
Hot Day
As the sun shone brightly that day, neighbors couldn’t help but witness these incredible boys’ actions.
Gerry ran over to the boys and gave them cold drinks, but then out of the corner of her eye, she spotted five more men coming towards her yard - one of which was Tom.
A Plan
As they began getting closer, she could tell that the neighbors who were approaching her also had gardening tools on them. The neighbors had huddled together and come up with a plan.
Half of the team would take one side of the yard and the other half, the other side.
Community Help
The neighbors of Gerry Sutter also pitched in with the four boys. They brought their lawnmowers and started going to work without any dispute. Even in 90-degree weather, the Reynolds brothers and neighbors of the elderly woman came together to help her out.
Gerry looked out onto her lawn and could not believe what was happening. A whole community was coming together for her.
Speechless
“I cannot believe this. I’m very seldom without words. But this is one time, you mark it down in history, that I didn’t have something to say” Gerry said. She was wholly shocked that all the work had been done in under two hours!
She couldn’t believe what the young boys and the community had done and it left her completely speechless.
Virtue And Kindness
When the boys finally heard about the court warrant for Gerry, they couldn’t contain themselves. "I'd do it for her a second time, or a third time," Blaine Reynolds said. "Anything to keep that lady from having to go to court."
What an incredible act of human virtue and kindness, and all coming from boys of such a young age!
All Done
After the grass had been cut down and the yard was all cleaned up, Gerry was told she needed to go to court and sign documents indicating that she never received the original notice to appear in court. She wanted to get the charges dropped.
But still, the court had other ideas.
Legal Battle
"It is very heartbreaking to see that someone that I didn't even know came out and spent two hours in the sun doing what we thought the city wanted done and then they turn around and say 'no,'" Gerry said.
Their decision angered the entire community and they were ready to fight.
Viral Content
The city still stood by Gerry’s violation, they wanted this poor woman to appear in court because of her infraction. But her community couldn’t let that happen. KWTX news went to Facebook and other media to cover this incredible story and show how when a community comes together anything is possible.
Gerry didn’t have to go to court, and her warrant has been dismissed. All thanks to these four incredible boys. And acts of kindness aren’t in short supply in Texas…
An Unforgettable Sight
He joined the police force to serve and protect. Over the years, he was a witness to the best and the worst events. He wiped the sweat from his brow. He just had to deliver some bad news–not a great start to the day.
Half an hour in and he was already tired. He always drove the long way back to the precinct to visit the housing estates. But before he could get there, his foot lowered on the break. What was that woman doing?
Trying To Help
As a child, John Crawford didn’t know what he wanted to be. But he knew he had to help others. Every day he saw homeless on the street, children hungry, mothers struggling to support their families.
It struck a chord in him. He always made sure to give sandwiches, money, or randomly pay for a stranger’s shopping. Every Sunday he volunteered at his local soup kitchen for a few hours. Unfortunately, he was familiar with the struggles of life.
Bad Memories
His earliest memory wasn’t a birthday party, or a trip to the beach, or a warm summer evening. His earliest memory was one of his father’s episodes.
He would wake to glass breaking, doors slamming, and screams. He wet the bed until he was 14 years old. Then one day, he was woken up in the middle of the night.
Leaving
He was dressed and outside their house of horrors before he was fully awake. His mother placed his bag on his back and took his hand. It was still dark and they were both terrified, but she knew her 8-year-old deserved better.
The essentials were packed into a single luggage bag which she dragged to the bus stop. They got a one-way ticket to Madison, Alabama. John’s father always said he would never amount to much but over the years, he proved him wrong.
A Career On The Force
John joined the police academy the moment he finished school. And he managed to hold down a job to help support his mother. They lived in a tiny 2-bedroom flat. They scrubbed mildew from the walls once a month.
They were poor, but they were safe. And when he finally became a sheriff, he made sure to take care of her. He refused to let any woman or child go through similar struggles. Sheriff Crawford knew he couldn’t save everyone, but when he saw Rachael, he knew he had to do something.
Young Love
Rachael Godley Brindley was just 20-years old when she met Ryan. He was a few years older, but she was drawn to him like a magnet.
He quickly became her whole world. She canceled plans with friends and family just to spend more time with him. She couldn’t get enough of his company. But things moved quicker than either of them ever expected.
Marriage
After the first year, they were married. However, things quickly changed. Rachel gave birth to their first child a few months after becoming newlyweds. Ryan was under more pressure than ever to provide for them.
He took every available shift at work, and she was lucky to see him for one hour a day. And they fought for the majority of that hour. He was successful in his career, but the stress was taking a toll on his relationship with Rachel. But she always went along with his choices because she could never say no to him.
Feeling Alone
Rachael always believed her husband had good intentions. That’s why when he suggested that she leave work to stay at home with their two kids, she agreed. And even when he missed their plans to stay at the office, she forgave him.
He worked hard to provide for them. He promised to buy her dream home and eventually, he did. But what use was a home for a family that was never together? And when the time came for him to keep a promise, he did the unthinkable.
Absent Father
Rachael managed to redecorate their entire new home during her third pregnancy. Her back ached and her ankles swelled, but she still painted every wall of the house herself. She wanted her children to have fond memories of their childhood.
And after 36 hours of labor, she brought her baby boy home to meet the family. The first four months flew by. Ryan was always home for breakfast and dinner, and he made sure to help more with the kids. Then, he did something that made her question her choices.
Busted
When Sheriff John Crawford saw Rachael on her lawn, he took a double-take. He pulled over and ran to her side as she struggled with her baby strapped to her chest. She was weak and tired.
“Everything okay ma’am?” he asked kindly as he helped her up from the grass. “Yes, officer. I just need to sit down for a while. It’s not easy working in this heat.” The child began to cry. The officer couldn’t stand by and watch her suffer.
Was She In Trouble?
He took off his hat and reached for the handle of the lawnmower. “Y’all I thought I was about to get in trouble or something…” Rachael later shared.
But this officer just wanted to lend a hand to a mother in need of some help! Ryan had returned to work a few weeks prior, and Rachael was struggling to manage three kids while running a house alone. The pressure was taking its toll.
She Decided To Do It Herself
“He has been working hard on a work project and hasn’t had time to cut it,” Rachael told. “It was a nice day out and so I thought I’d help my husband out and cut it myself. I enjoy cutting the grass.”
But Rachael underestimated the difficulty of doing tasks while her body was still healing. And little baby Michael wasn’t in the best of form that day.
Surprise Visit
Rachael explained that when the officer passed, the “sweet” man “stopped and insisted” on mowing the lawn for her. At the time, Rachael was worried.
She was alone with the kids, and a police officer had never approached her before. As if she wasn’t stressed enough that day, seeing a squad car pull up outside her home made her panic. But now, she’s delighted with her surprise visitor.
A Huge Help
Ryan later found out about Rachael’s helper for the day. “It’s small in nature, but was a huge help to my wife today.”
The incident has opened Ryan’s eyes, reminding him of the importance of family. Since the incident, he’s made sure to leave work at work and spend extra time with his family. But why didn’t the officer just keep driving?
Serving The Community
Although he joined the force to protect and serve, Sheriff Crawford also makes it his mission to be kind and helpful. And after completing the job, Rachael thanked him with a well-deserved tall glass of lemonade.
And understandably, her experience has gained plenty of online attention. It’s not often you meet a stranger willing to help. Someone definitely deserves a special award for kindness!