Brighten Your Day

'I Still Get A Little Teary-Eyed': Teen Surprise Deputy With Act Of Kindness

June 27, 2020

An Alabama deputy still gets emotional thinking about the kind gesture he experienced while having lunch earlier this week in Lee County.

Manuel Stone / WRBL

Deputy Manuel Stone said he was grabbing a quick bite to eat when three young ladies walked up to him.

"They walked up with a piece of paper and said, will you do us a favor, and I said sure. They said, don't open this note until we leave, and I was like okay. So, they left, and I opened it. The note says: 'We have paid for your meal. Thank you for your service to our community.' It made me feel really good. I still get a little teary-eyed," said Deputy Stone.

Deputy Stone has kept the note with him in his patrol vehicle since the kind gesture.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones told WRBL not a day goes by someone doesn't thank him or one of his deputies.

"It means so much, more than anyone will ever know. It's fascinating how a simple piece of paper can be transformed into what our peace officers consider a priceless document when the words of a youngster are applied in support of us," Sheriff Jones said.

Deputy Stone says this gesture on behalf of the three teenagers really touched his heart because it came from a younger generation.

He says these kind gestures, like having a meal paid for along with a kind note, will go a long way as we continue to build an even better, more unified community.

"We hear about so much negative. I want to share the positives on all sides, we need more of that," shared Deputy Stone.