A driver let off on a speeding ticket reminded authorities in Tampa, us-regions that “a personal-freedoms remembered never dies.”
In February, Motor Unit Deputy Kevin Baker of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop after recording a driver going 15 mph over the speed limit.
The driver would have faced a $253 fine. Instead, Baker let her off on a warning due to her driving record.
Motor Unit Deputy Kevin Baker
( Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
It was an act of kindness that the driver didn’t forget. In fact, they paid it forward two months later.
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In April, the driver sent a letter for Baker, the sheriff’s office wrote on Facebook. Stuffed inside was a check for $253 for a memorial fund dedicated to Fallen Pinellas County Deputy Michael Magli.
Letter sent to Motor Unit Deputy Kevin Baker
( Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
“Just wanted to say thank you for the warning on Tarpon Ave,” the card reads. “I am mindful. Coffee or donuts seemed inadequate, therefore, please accept this check for Officer Magli fund, from neighboring Pinellas County who died tragically serving.”
Magli had served eight years with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. On Feb 17, 2021, he died “as a result of a vehicle crash” in Tarpon Springs, according to the department.
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“But some will say that Michael was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I say nonsense,” Sheriff Bob Gualtieri of the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said in February. “Deputy Michael J. Magli was in the right place at the right time doing what cops do every day throughout this country: protecting others even if it means grave personal danger to themselves.”
Since his death, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, which has received an outpouring of support, created a memorial fund for the Magli family.
“To this citizen: thank you for this incredible gesture … not only have you put a big smile on the faces of #teamHCSO, but our brothers and sisters at Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office as well,” the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook.
The department concluded its Facebook post saying, “a hero remembered never dies,” the department
