“He’s coming back to get me!”
It was all part of his daily routine – up to four times a day, in fact – for Officer Brian Wagner to cite shoplifters at a Walmart in Woodbury, Minnesota.
Until one day that routine…wasn’t.
You can blame that on a down-on-her-luck widow wielding a pack of stolen steaks!
Even though she totally messed up Officer Wagner’s daily thief-nabbing quota, this one “People of Walmart” story will warm your heart.
“I knew what I had done was wrong. I just didn’t care anymore.”
61-year-old grandmother and widow Sarah Lindgren was scanning her groceries in the self-checkout lane at Walmart when she looked into her wallet and realized she didn’t have enough money for the pack of steaks she was buying for her family.
Sarah decided to sneak the steaks into her grocery bag without paying for it. But as luck would have it, she got caught by Walmart security on her way out of the store.
The five-finger discount shopper was immediately whisked away to a back room, where she was held with her autistic 18-year-old daughter, Danielle, until police arrived.
Unfortunately, the teen had picked the wrong day to go shopping with mom. The poor girl was scared and in tears when Officer Wagner arrived!
Of course, mom was frightened, too. Frightened at the realization of what she had done, and for what it would mean for her family if she was put behind bars.
“I wasn’t scared for me. I was scared for my family; what it would mean for me not to be here.”
“She has less speeding tickets than I do. She was 100 percent honest.”
This particular Walmart is a familiar stomping ground for Officer Wagner. He’s called to the store at least three to four times a day to cite shoplifters for their bad behavior, and for him, it was just all part of his daily cop routine.
Sarah pleaded with the officer and told him that she had never stolen anything in her life, which of course is a story that he’s heard a million times before.
That’s what the back of his squad car is usually for – it’s a place for lying thieves to get a hold of themselves.
However, when he did a background check on Sarah, she had no record to speak of!
“There was nothing. No negative contacts ever. Our system goes back to the 80s, there’s nothing.”
Although he was skeptical at first, Officer Wagner knew that this woman was telling him the honest to god truth.
“You get to a point where you’re drained, you can’t even think.”
Sarah absolutely knew right from wrong, but it was the holidays and times were tough. She had 9 children and grandchildren living at home, and she was their sole caretaker.
Although it’s no excuse for her actions, Sarah’s husband had provided for the family up until his passing 15 years ago. His life insurance helped keep everyone afloat, but it’s since run out and she’s been struggling to pay the bills.
In a moment of panic, Sarah made a mistake. It happens to all of us, but it doesn’t define us!
Thankfully, Officer Wagner could see that the grandmother’s struggles were real. He did end up citing her for shoplifting because she had obviously broken the law and he was required to do his job.
But, there was also another job he felt he needed to do, but instead of being a cop he was going to play the role of a Good Samaritan.
“That’s when I decided that she needed help.”
An hour after leaving the Walmart, Sarah received an urgent call from Officer Wagner. At first she was scared and thought that more trouble was coming her way.
But instead of handcuffs and sirens, the only thing about to land on her doorstep was a ton of heartfelt kindness!
Officer Wagner had just done a little bit of grocery shopping himself at Christian Cupboard Emergency Food Shelf, which is a free food pantry that provides for those in need.
The kindhearted cop called Sarah to inform her that he had a squad car full of groceries and was coming to her house to deliver them!
Even better, he told her that he was voiding the citation he had written for her. She could throw that piece of paper in the garbage.
“Couldn’t believe it, I was just overwhelmed, stunned, in disbelief.”
The grandmother felt totally guilty, and believed that she didn’t deserve such treatment, as she had just committed a crime.
“He made me feel like I wasn’t all alone, like I wasn’t carrying the whole load by myself. He’s my guardian angel.”
“God gives us second chances and you’ve got to take advantage of them.”
Wagner knows something about guardian angels himself. He was almost killed when a tow truck slammed into his squad car eighteen months prior. He underwent rehab for 6 months for a brain injury, and even though he’s not back to working full-time, he’s super grateful to be alive.
And he’s come to realize that the little mistakes in life don’t define us.
“In the grand scheme of life, it’s a tiny mistake she’s made. I commend her more than anything to coming forward and facing potential criticism from people to say, ‘This is where I’ve been, get help, it’s okay.'”
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
