What This Indiana Officer Gave an Upset, Speeding Trucker Instead of a Ticket that Touched His Heart

Elizabeth Delaney : Jan 13, 2016
Gospel Herald

The trooper reportedly walked over to the right side of the truck, knelt down, took his hat off, took [the trucker's] hand and prayed. With tears in their eyes, they prayed for peace during a difficult time. Not only is that amazing in itself, since then, the trooper and trucker are still in touch.

(Indiana)—Truck driver Rodney Gibson was driving down a Bloomington, Indiana highway when he saw the police cruiser lights flashing in his rearview mirror. He had just received the horrendous news that his daughter, who had been fighting breast cancer, was not responding to chemotherapy treatments and didn't have long to live. Then he was brought to tears when the state trooper issued prayer rather than a ticket. (Screenshot/WRTV/ABC News)

Gibson was so upset that he didn't even realize he was speeding. He also admits that when Indiana State Police Sgt. Todd Durnil stopped him, he responded to the trooper with a bit of contention.

Durnil said he was aware that Gibson seemed, "upset and angry," but that getting stopped over speeding didn't seem to be the root it. It just seemed like there was more to it than that. As he did a brief inspection of the truck, he noticed an angel pin on Gibson's visor that was identical to one that he kept in his cruiser.

He mentioned this to Gibson. Then Gibson told Durnil that his daughter gave him the pin in the hopes that it would somehow help him to stay safe on the roads. He then explained the news about his daughter's six-year battle with cancer and the grim prognosis.

Durnil said that he went back to his cruiser feeling that Gibson really needed prayer more than a ticket. He wanted to pray with him and have his family and church pray for him.

Then Durnil said he thought to himself, "this man already has enough, I'm not going to write him any paperwork for a ticket or even a warning"...

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