A woman from Union County was arrested Thursday morning in Creston, on a Union County warrant for Theft in the 5th degree, Possession of Drug paraphernalia, and Possession of Methamphetamine. Hayley Joan Vandel, of Creston, was taken into custody at around 10:15-a.m. and later released on $1,000 bond.
A woman from Michigan who experienced car problems and got help from an Iowa State Patrol Trooper from Atlantic, shared her gratitude in a Facebook post that soon went viral.
The Trooper’s business card from that night on I-80 near Atlantic,
The Daily NonPareil says Breanna Gauthier remembers vividly, the incident where she got help above and beyond the call of duty, from Trooper Todd Granner. For his part, Granner said he was just doing his job.
On Tuesday, Gauthier, of Ludington, Mich., posted a thank you to Granner for his help when her car blew a tire one evening last summer. It was around 10:30 p.m. on Interstate 80 outside Atlantic, when the incident occurred. Her post read: “I pulled off to the side of the road, turned on my hazards, looked at my shredded tire and began to panic,” she wrote. “I was 10 miles from the nearest town, and semi trucks were blowing past me at 60 mph, shaking me and the car every time they passed. I called home knowing there was nothing anyone could do and started to cry.”
That’s when Granner stopped by, lights flashing on his cruiser, ready to help. Gauthier recounted Granner “calling in a favor with his friend who had a tow truck and a garage.”
“I was looking at maxing out credit cards for the closest tow truck my family could find online, so when he came to my window and told me he had a guy, I could have cried,” she wrote in the post. “He could have easily left after my car was off the shoulder and I had someone he knew heading my way, but he said that there was no way he was going to leave me alone on that highway.”
Gauthier said she expected Granner to leave after the tow truck arrived, but he gave her a ride to the service station and insisted that the woman – who was in the middle of a cross-country drive – get some rest at a local hotel.
“I had mentioned wanting to drive though the night to get home as soon as I could, but he insisted that it was better to be safe than sorry. After all was said and done, he made sure I had directions to get back to the highway, and that I had a hotel room reserved for when I got to the next town,” she wrote. “I was a young girl states away from home, and he treated me like I was his family. He called in favors and stayed with me until he knew I was taken care of.
“I needed to share this. He didn’t just do his duty that night; he went above and beyond to serve and protect me. To comfort me. To take care of me.”
The post struck a nerve on Facebook, with the post at 48,581 posts as of Thursday afternoon. Granner’s seen it, and told the NonPareil he’s thankful for Gauthier’s appreciation. He was humble in saying it’s part of the things troopers do on a daily basis. Granner lives in Atlantic and works out of the IHP’s District 3 Post, in Council Bluffs.
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