25-year-old woman begged a cop to arrest her after being pulled over for a broken taillight — his response changed her life
A run-in with a cop isn't something anybody would wish upon themselves. That's why, when Michigan officer Dillon Platte pulled over Christina Latoski, the last thing he expected her to say was 'thank you.' Latoski had been pulled over by Officer Platte five times in the course of three years, but this time, it was different. A year later, she penned him a letter of gratitude for listening to her cry for help and saving her children from becoming motherless. Reported by WDBJ 7 News, the familiar encounter that night led to a recovery for life.
It was just another night of patrolling for Officer Dillon Platte when he noticed Latoski driving her 1996 red Chevy Camaro with broken taillights. This wasn’t their first encounter. Platte had stopped the woman for the same vehicle issues four times in three years, making this encounter their fifth time with the Eaton Rapids Police Department. As the officer checked, his patrol car computer showed Latoski had a warrant for failing to appear in court. He informed her that he had to detain her, per WILX. However, while searching her vehicle, he came across an illegal substance. When she was handcuffed and read her rights, she had an unexpected reaction. She cried to him and pleaded with him to put her in jail, because "she was done." Latoski was jailed for three months and put in rehab for three months, which she described as a life-changing experience battling her 25-year substance addiction.
A year following her rehab, she penned a four-page letter to Platte, expressing her gratitude for saving her life. In her letter, she revealed the heartbreaking truth about that fateful night. She shared that she had planned to end her life and that if it weren’t for him pulling her over that night, her children would have been motherless today. The officer was moved by her letter and expressed his gratitude for guiding someone in life. The duo eventually reunited at the exact spot where she was arrested. When the officer praised her for her recovery, she responded, "You unknowingly did something for me that night that I didn't even know I needed."
Officer Platte's story reminds us of 20-year-old Abbie Rutledge, who was pulled over by state trooper J.T. Brown for speeding. Unfortunately, Rutledge was broke and could not afford a ticket. She explained that she was unemployed and was feeling lost in life. Instead of issuing a ticket, Brown chose to talk with her on the side of the road for about 15 to 20 minutes. He inquired about her hobbies and interests. This conversation encouraged her to take different career paths, with Brown suggesting that she had the potential to work in health care, particularly nursing. Rutledge took his advice seriously and soon enrolled in a two-year surgical technology program at Bevill State Community College. She completed the program, graduated, and is now working as a surgical technician at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. In a sweet surprise, Brown attended her graduation, where Rutledge expressed her gratitude for the conversation that changed her life.