Deputies from the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office chased down a 31-year-old man within minutes of being called this past Saturday morning.

Clayton Boyd Roberts, 31, of Alabama, entered a WOW! Internet van that was parked outside of its owner’s residence. Roberts began driving off with the van, which was already running when he came upon it, before off-duty Major Tommy Sims, who lived nearby, started pursuing him. He drove throughout the county then ultimately crashed into a telephone pole. Roberts was arrested and charged with first-degree theft of property, attempting to elude and reckless endangerment.

The response to Roberts’ acts shows the amount of dedication the sheriff’s office has in order to protect the community. For Sims to be off duty on a Saturday morning and pursue Roberts in a high-speed chase throughout the area until he was arrested should be applauded by the community.

For prospective criminals in the area, examples like this one show that Chambers County does not let offenders get off the hook easily. When agencies develop a reputation of being aggressive, criminals tend to avoid those jurisdictions as opposed to others with a reputation of being loose when in terms of punishment. Chambers County not only responded quickly but did not cease to resolve the situation until the suspect was in handcuffs.

A local law enforcement official embodied the definition of his job description and executed his task without any injuries from any other member of the community.

In many situations today, the public can be quick to highlight the faults of officers. Whenever the deputy has a misstep on or off the clock, the public reaction can be substantial at times. Aside from official government events, however, appreciation for law enforcement handling a situation well often goes unnoticed.