A choice

A hot, humid day in Georgia. Six prison inmates doing yard maintenance at a cemetery, and the lone deputy guarding them passes out from the heat.

In this situation in the movies, of course, the prisoners swiftly relieve the guard of his keys, guns, and pants, taking off for the state line, leaving him bound and gagged until someone finds him hours later, sputtering, "What in tarnation...?

But that's not what happened in Polk County GA that day last month. Sheriff Johnny Moats was surprised, all right, when the prisoners used the deputy's cell phone to call 911 for help. By the time an ambulance arrived (and plenty of police, you can be sure) the men had taken off the stricken deputy's bulletproof vest to make it easier for the medic crew to treat him, and to cool the man off. 

The inmates performing work detail.

"When that happened, in my opinion, it wasn't about who is in jail and who wasn't," Greg Williams, one of the inmates, told WXIA TV. "It was about a man going down, and we had to help him."

It turns out that the deputy had complications from brain surgery years ago, and that made him more susceptible to heat stroke. But he is fully recovered now, and the Polk County Sheriff's Office is showing their gratitude to the work gang that did the right thing,

There was a pizza picnic in the park where it all took place, with homemade desserts from the family of the deputy who got help when he needed it.  

And even more important, Sheriff Moats is putting in for reduced sentences for the six, all nonviolent offenders.  And some may even be going home soon, with penalties reduced for time served.

Many times, as we weave our way through life, we come upon crossroads where decisions we make will have lasting impact.  All six of these men made decisions earlier that led them to being sentenced to prison, and on a hot muggy day in June, they all made a better choice.

Let's hope they choose a different road for good now.