One Fontana police officer had the surprise of his life when a woman who he had arrested for DUI came in to say “thank you” last week.
A woman KTLA referred to as simply “Maria” had taken pain pills and muscle relaxers and was involved in a minor 3-car crash at a stoplight in Fontana this past New Year’s Eve. When police were immediately called to the scene, Maria was identified as driving under the influence and arrested by police officer Wayne Blessenger.
While taking her to jail and processing her, he gave her a stern talk, but never suspected that his words were actually making a difference.
“I really didn’t think I was impacting her at the time I was talking to her. Being a father, it was almost like I was lecturing her like a child,” he commented.
Maria mentioned that Officer Blessenger was the first person she had interacted with that actually took action to talk to her about what she was doing and express genuine concern.
A married mother of two, she was trying to dull her struggle with depression by taking painkillers, and she had attempted to commit suicide in December. She was planning on attempting again after the holidays, so that her children wouldn’t associate the holidays with their mom being gone, she explained to KTLA.
Perhaps Officer Blessenger’s words of wisdom helped her realize that she mattered and that life could get better for her, so there was no reason to end it. Maybe she realized that taking painkillers wasn’t the way to end her struggle with depression.
Whatever happened after that fateful New Year’s Eve, Maria says it was Officer Blessenger’s influence that made a big impact on her. Thankfully she’s alive and well today, at least partially because she was arrested for DUI.
So she stopped by the Fontana police precinct the day after Mother’s Day to express her sincere gratitude and give Officer Blessenger a big hug.
He was shocked to see the woman he arrested thanking him!
During his many years as a Fontana police officer, no one he has arrested has ever come back to give gratitude:
“Usually when you arrest somebody they don’t really come to you and say ‘thank you for arresting me.’ It was a great moment in my life. I was very surprised that she came in and I didn’t expect someone to say thank you.”
The holidays can be a challenging time, and no one is exempt from getting depressed every once in a while. But hopefully everyone experiences a transformative moment like Maria did, or an opportunity to radically make a difference in someone else’s life like Officer Blessenger did:
“You know, his name is Blessenger, and I view him as my blessing. It was a badly wrapped gift that I got on New Year’s Eve,” Maria said.
Driving under the influence is a very serious matter, and if you’ve been charged with DUI in Southern California, make sure you get it taken care of ASAP by calling Dan Chambers of the Chambers Law Firm.
He specializes in DUI cases and will either prove your innocence or secure the lightest possible sentence. If you want a tenacious attorney who will fight for you, just call 714-760-4088 to set up your free initial consultation today.
