An ounce of kindness goes a long way, especially in today’s world where law enforcement and society aren’t always on the same page. One deputy with Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office, Josh Hall, helped out a family in need this past weekend and got them back on the interstate safely to resume their trip back home to Macon.
Breeana Adkins Durden took to Facebook on Saturday night around 9:00. She wrote, “I just want to say THANK YOU to Officer J.Hall with Emanuel Co Sheriff’s Office for his help. We were on the way back from Savannah and our trailer shredded a tire. He helped change the tire out in less than 5 mins! Without his help, I’m sure we’d still be sitting on the side of the road. It’s nice to see that in a world full of hate, we still have good guys. Mucho Thanks to Officer Hall.”
The Chronicle reached out to her Monday morning to get a little more context. Durden says the ordeal started around 7:40 that evening. She was with her husband, Michael, her sister-in-law, Dusti, and her brother-in-law, Jacob, and his wife, Morgan at the time. The group had left Macon and traveled to Savannah so Jacob could buy a motorcycle. The trip was going well until they found themselves broke down on I-16 West. Several vehicles, including a few police, passed by the stranded group before Hall voluntarily stopped.
By that time, Jacob and Morgan, Durden explained, had already left to go to the closest Walmart to buy a new tire. She, Michael, and Dusti stayed with the trailer and motorcycle. Jacob and Morgan had been gone nearly 30 minutes when Hall came to their aid. He walked up to the group and was super friendly, asking if they had help on the way. The trio who stayed behind then told Hall what was going on, and he initially responded by saying he couldn’t stay because he had to get back on patrol.
“We understood. I mean, we had the tire and tools coming. We just thought it was super cool that he stopped for us,” Durden commented.
Hall then walked back to his vehicle and sat there with his lights on so traffic would move to the other lane, a welcomed gesture since, according to Durden, many vehicles didn’t move over prior to that.
The local deputy ended up staying with the trio until Jacob and Morgan got back with the tire at around 8:40. The shredded tire was off, and the new one was back on by 8:45, thanks to Hall and Michael changing it together.
“He was so considerate and just so sweet. He provided all the tools we needed. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I noticed he was Marine Corp as well, and I just went to Facebook to thank him, hoping he’d see how honored we were he helped. He upholds ‘to serve and protect’ as he went above and beyond for all of us. It is a crazy world, and I wanted folks to see that he is a piece of good in this world.”
The Chronicle reached out to Sheriff Jeffrey Brewer to get his take on his deputy’s small yet important act of servitude. He said, “Our deputies go above and beyond every day without recognition. I want to thank Mrs. Durden for taking time out of her day to pen such a kind Facebook post.”
Hall has been with Emanuel County Sheriff’s Office since January 2021.
When asked about helping the stranded motorists, Hall said, “My job as Emanuel County deputy sheriff assigned to the traffic unit is to make sure all motorists travel safely while in Emanuel County heading to whatever the destination is. Whether I’m stopping a driver for violating Georgia traffic laws or, like in this case, helping a stranded motorist on I-16 that was in a blind spot at night with a flat tire, my goal is to make sure everyone makes it home safely while traveling on our roadways.”