Follow The Law
Anna Sullivan / Unsplash
Laws and rules are what keeps our society functioning the way that it’s supposed to. As some of you may know, the law isn’t always foolproof. And sometimes, rules are extremely easy to break. Especially when you don’t even know that they exist.
Fight Or Flight
KWTX News 10
The woman didn’t understand why she was being told that she needed to go to court. She sat on the couch in her living room, overwhelmed with thoughts about what she should do next. While she was thinking about what her next step should be, she heard the sound of banging coming from her yard. She looked out the window to see what was going on and that’s when she saw them. As the four boys made their way towards her, shivers traveled down her spine. All she could think about was whether or not she should run.
Aging Gracefully
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
Gerry Suttle is a 75-year-old woman from Texas. She spends her time enjoying her retirement on her land, living as peacefully as she can. She was able to purchase land when she was younger, and now she’s able to live out her life on her two acres. Gerry realizes that she’s not as young and active as she once was. So she most certainly wasn’t expecting the visit she got from the police.
Strange Laws
TODAY
As you know, every state has their own laws. But Texas has one law in particular that has left Gerry in a state of confusion. Gerry Suttle called Riesel, Texas her home for a long time. One of Riesel’s laws states that the grass on your property can’t be more than 18 inches tall and you’ll be issued a fine if it is. Gerry was never informed about this law and she was never given a fine, either. So what was going to happen now?
A Knock At The Door
ABC News
Danny Krumnow, the Riesel Police Chief, stated that Gerry’s grass was too high and that she was in violation of the city ordinance. Even so, Gerry was never issued a ticket, so she had no clue what was going on. Eventually, the police showed up at her front door to inform her that she was being sent to jail. Gerry was so confused and had no clue what to do. There had to be some way to fix this, but Gerry didn’t know where to start.
Out Of Options
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
Gerry claimed that she had never received any kind of notice about going to court. Because of that, Gerry didn’t show up in court and a warrant for her arrest was issued. Gerry thought about her options. She was a bit too old and weak to mow the lawn herself, but she couldn’t really afford to pay someone else to do the work either. She was in a real predicament, but she never expected what would happen next.
True Terror
whitesun12 / Flickr
Put yourself in Gerry’s shoes, and imagine how scared she must have been thinking that she was going to jail. How would she get herself out of this with no money and no help? She would soon find out that things were about to look up.
Strange Sounds
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
As Gerry sat in her living room chair, she was at a loss on what to do next. She didn’t have family that lived close, and her husband had passed away many years ago. She was out of options, but how could she go to jail? As she pondered on what to do, she began to hear strange sounds coming from outside. She crept to her window to get a closer look and felt shivers travel through her body.
Uninvited Strangers
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
There were four boys coming towards her from the edge of her land. What were they doing on her property? What did they want? She began to grow nervous and this was literally the last thing she needed. Were they a bunch of troublemakers who were targeting older people? As the boys got closer to her, she knew what she needed to do. She would fight.
A Real Fear
JC Gellidon / Unsplash
Unfortunately, home invasions are a very real concern for the elderly. Because they can be a bit weaker and naive than other people, the elderly are an easy target for those with ill intentions. Hopefully, Gerry was prepared for whatever was coming her way.
Muddy Boys
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
As the boys moved closer, Gerry realized something different about them. These were young boys —very young boys. The oldest one was maybe 15! Even so, Gerry felt very uncomfortable about their presence. The boys began to look around her property, and when she could finally see them clearly. The boys had dirt and mud all over them, but what could they possibly be looking for?
A Closer Look
KWTX News 10 / Facebook
Confused, but curious, Gerry tried to get a closer look. The boys began to play and laugh, but they were still on her property. Gerry had no clue what they were doing. Should she call the police? As soon as she grabbed her phone, she noticed that one of the boys grabbed a tool from a bag they were carrying. What in the world was going on?
A Bag Of Tools
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
Two of the boys stayed behind, while the other two disappeared. The boys who stayed behind began to grab what looked like garden tools, such as some shears, a weed whacker, and a few other things. Gerry was in shock. What exactly were they doing? But as soon as the other boys came around the corner, she noticed that one of them had a lawnmower.
A Good Deed
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
Soon enough, the boys were in full swing, mowing the lawn and ripping out overgrown weeds. Gerry couldn’t believe it! The boys’ kind gesture brought tears to her face. She had lived in that home for 59 years and she was left speechless after seeing what the boys were doing for her.
A Dream
Eco Warrior Princess / Unsplash
Could this really be happening? Just when she didn’t know what she was going to do, four boys came forward and helped her out of nowhere. Did they know about the warrant, or were the just helping out of the kindness of their hearts?
Little Life Savers
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
The four boys (who were actually brothers) explained to the news why they wanted to help. “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.” The kind efforts of these four boys goes above and beyond just cutting the grass. They had no clue that they just saved Gerry from going to jail.
A Kind Heart
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
One of the boys, Blaine Reynolds, said: “We haven’t met her yet, but she’s 75 years old, and she needs some help mowing. That’s the least we could do.” One of the other brothers also said: “I really wouldn’t want her coming out here and doing it or paying someone else to when we could have just done it for free.”
A Warm Day
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
As the sun was shining brightly, the next door neighbors couldn’t help but see what the boys were doing for Gerry. She rushed over to the boys to give them some cold drinks. Just then, she noticed five more men walking towards her property.
A Solid Plan
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
As the men got closer, Gerry began to realize that they were carrying gardening tools with them, as well. The neighbors came together and established a plan to help Gerry. Half of the helpers would team up and take care of one side, while the other group took care of the opposite side.
A Community That Cares
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
Gerry Sutter’s neighbors also helped the four boys with the property. Without question, her neighbors grabbed their own lawnmowers and got to work. Despite the 90-degree weather, the four brothers and the neighbors got together to make Gerry’s life easier. Gerry looked outside and couldn’t believe how many people came together to help her. The whole community was showing that they cared.
No Words
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
“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,” said Gerry. Gerry was in a state of shock when she realized that all of that work only took two hours to complete. She was left speechless by what these four boys and neighbors had done for her.
Kind Is Cool
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
The boys eventually heard about the warrant that was out for Gerry’s arrest and they couldn’t believe it. “I’d do it for her a second time, or a third time. Anything to keep that lady from having to go to court,” said Blaine Reynolds. Even though the boys were so young, they expressed such kindness and virtue.
Back To Court
KWTX News 10 / YouTube
Once the grass had been cut and the yard looked nice again, Gerry was informed that she still needed to go to the courthouse to sign some papers that stated that she had never received the original papers that said she needed to go to court. Gerry obviously wanted the charges to be dropped, but the court had other intentions. “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 them turn around and say ‘no,'” said Gerry.
Standing Together
KWTX News 10 / Facebook
Unfortunately, the city stood by their decision about Gerry’s violation and they wanted her in the courtroom. But the community stood by Gerry. KWTX News turned to Facebook and other social media outlets and explained Gerry’s story and how the community came to help her in her time of need. Thanks to the four kind boys, Gerry’s warrant was revoked and she didn’t have to go to court!
It Feels Good To Do Good
Pexels
This story proves that anything is possible when people come together to help those in need. Helping someone bring their groceries into their home, or giving a compliment to someone, can completely change a person’s day. So today, go out of your way to help someone that may need it today! You’ll make them feel better, which in turn, will make you feel good, as well!