Mpls. Man Sends Hand Written Thank You To Hennepin Co. Sheriff

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Mail carriers are busy this time of year delivering holiday cards across Minnesota.

Recently, one greeting caught the eye of a leader in law enforcement.

Hennpein County Sheriff Rich Stanek shares how two-page long hand written letter touched a department after a deputy made a decision months ago to pull over.

"I got this about a week ago. It came in the mail," Stanek said.

The letter was delivered to the state's largest sheriff's department.

"I get lot of emails lots, I get lots of phone calls. Very rarely do I get a hand written letter," Stanek said.

And it was addressed to Sheriff Rich Stanek.

"Here's a human interest story I think you should know about," Stanek said reading the letter.

The story of a morning walk a man took this summer with his dog.

"I picked her up and was starting to carry her when I saw coming towards us a squad car," Stanek said continuing to read.

"He said 'I can give you a ride home. Do you want a ride home? I can give you a ride home,'" Gary Plinske, the man who wrote the letter, said.

Seventy-two-year-old Plinske was out with his cockapoo, Leni.

"Everybody knew her name but very few knew mine," Plinske said.

When the two went to walk the hill back, Leni struggled.

Plinske had recently learned his best friend had stomach cancer.

"To look at her and to know that one of these days you're not going to be here. Now I'm going to start crying," Plinske said.

When the deputy pulled over, Plinske told him about his dog's diagnosis.

"He stopped and talked to me. Now how do you beat that?" Plinske said.

"My emotions kicked in and I teared up. And so did he," Stanek read.

Tired of all the negative news about cops, this Christmas, Plinske wanted the department to know what those few minutes meant.

"It means a lot," Stanek said.

Leni died a few months ago.

Now walking alone, Plinske says he still thinks about the time an officer offered to help.

"Thank you. Just thank you. It was just a neat deal that he did," Plinske said.

Plinske didn't get the deputy's name that day.

Now, his letter will appear in a digital newsletter sent to the more than 500 Hennepin County deputies each month.

The Sheriff wants to know who it was that made that stop to personally thank him.