Homeless teenager steals a purse at a bar: the owner offers him his help instead of calling the police
Too many people nowadays find themselves on the streets and can find no other solution than to steal, just to get something to eat. This is about survival, but we certainly cannot justify criminal acts like this: stealing is not a solution. A bar owner, Jimmy Gilleece, found himself facing an unpleasant situation after a client of his lost her purse at his bar. The purse contained important items for the client and Jimmy promised her that he would get it back. During this little adventure, the owner of the bar not only found "the thief" in the incident, but also made him an incredible offer to stop him from stealing in the future.
via Youtube / CBS Evening News
The lady's stolen purse contained an irreplaceable and very precious keepsake: her wedding ring. Jimmy wanted to do his best to find the purse and return it to his client, so he watched hours and hours of footage from his security camera until he found the exact moment when her purse was snatched. The client had left it on a bench outside his club and, shortly after, it had been taken by a young boy. Jimmy now knew who to "hunt".
Once the boy was tracked down, Jimmy discovered that it was an extreme sad case: the 17-year-old young man was homeless and had run away from his family; he lived on the streets and got by in any way he could. His situation was decidedly desperate and he admitted that when he saw the purse, he grabbed it, took the money and threw the rest into a nearby river.
The youg boy, River Prather, wasn't really a criminal - he was just someone who seriously needed help because society and his family had turned their backs on him: "He lived in the woods, and he was out there even when it was just 30 degrees. He had not eaten for two days. I knew he wasn't a criminal. He was just someone who needed a little help," Jimmy said.
Most people, perhaps, would have called the police, but Jimmy decided to do better: he welcomed the boy into his home and changed his life. But first, he kept his promise to his client and got a team of divers who thoroughly searched the river where the purse should have been. Eventually, they found it. Needless to say, the woman was delighted.
It's not every day that you read stories with happy endings like this one and that's why we should treasure it. Helping others is a way to help yourself and be at peace with the world - we should try to do things like this more often!
