A speeding driver who was let off with a warning showed her gratitude to the police department in a remarkable way.
It was in February, Motor Unit Deputy Kevin Baker of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office stopped the driver after she was recorded going 15 mph over the speed limit.
Instead of fining the driver $253, Baker let her off on a warning due to her driving record in an act of kindness. This act wasn’t forgotten by the driver but instead, she paid it forward by sending a letter to Baker, according to what the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook.
Along with the letter was a cheque for $253 for a memorial fund dedicated to Fallen Pinellas County Deputy Michael Magli.
“Just wanted to say thank you for the warning on Tarpon Ave,” the card reads. “I am mindful. Coffee or donuts seemed inadequate, therefore, please accept this check for Officer Magli fund, from neighboring Pinellas County who died tragically serving.”
Magli served 8 years with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, on Feb 17, 2021, he died “as a result of a vehicle crash” in Tarpon Springs, according to the department.
“But some will say that Michael was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I say nonsense,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in February. “Deputy Michael J. Magli was in the right place at the right time doing what cops do every day throughout this country: protecting others even if it means grave personal danger to themselves.”
After his tragic death, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office created a memorial fund for the Magli family. “To this citizen: thank you for this incredible gesture … not only have you put a big smile on the faces of #teamHCSO, but our brothers and sisters at Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office as well,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
The department concluded its Facebook post saying, “a hero remembered never dies.”
