Instead of giving Ka'Shawn Baldwin a ticket, Officer Roger Gemoules gave him a ride, and that made all the difference.
Baldwin, 22, of East St. Louis, Illinois, had to borrow a friend's car last Wednesday so he could get to a job interview with FedEx. Gemoules, an officer with the Cahokia Police Department, spotted the car and noticed it had expired tags. He pulled Baldwin over, and soon discovered that Baldwin didn't have a valid license. Baldwin explained that he was trying to get to a job interview, and driving his friend's car was the only way he could get there.
Baldwin said he was afraid Gemoules would tow the car and bring him down to the station, and he was stunned when Gemoules agreed to give him a ride to the interview. "He was polite when I pulled him over and he seemed like a good young man, so I wanted to give him a chance," Gemoules told KSDK. "I knew if I gave him a bunch of tickets and towed his car, it would be tough to recover from." His kindness paid off: Baldwin got the job as a package handler at FedEx, and started on Tuesday. This is Baldwin's second job — he also works at a McDonald's, taking the bus 90 minutes each way — and his plan is to save up to get his license back, buy a car, and one day, purchase a house. Catherine Garcia
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