LONOKE, Ark. — There was nothing special about Wednesday for Courtney Thrift.
She was just taking care of clients at Kreations Hair Salon in Lonoke as usual.
“We were just working and this police officer had his blue lights on right in front of the salon and I was like, what is he doing?” she said looking out the window to Front Street.
It wasn’t a car Lt. Malcolm Cole was checking on — but an elderly man in an electric wheelchair.
“It seemed like he was struggling,” Lt. Cole said.
The middle school resource officer was running an errand and heading back to campus when he came upon the man stopped in the road.
“I said, ‘what can I do for you?’ And he said ‘oh I’ll be alright.'” But Lt. Malcolm couldn’t just take him at his word.
Lt. Cole has interacted with the man before.
He says he’s very active and likes to be outside.
But that day his wheelchair battery died and he still another block or so to go to get home.
“I said, ‘I can’t leave you out here it’s just way too hot,’ so I just started pushing him,” Lt. Cole said.
Thrift captured the moment on camera from inside the salon.
“I’m going to put this on social media because I just want to show the kindness that’s normal in Lonoke,” she said.
“I don’t necessarily feel like I did anything special, you know, I seen somebody that needed some help,” Lt. Cole said.
An act he did, not to be seen himself, but show kindness to his community.
“It was a pleasure to help him,” he said.
Lt. Cole checked on the man this morning.
He says he’s doing fine and is actually getting a new wheelchair next week so he shouldn’t be stranded anymore.
We tried to go see him too, but true to form, he was out and about.
