When nine police officers enter her restaurant, this waitress’s day took a drastic turn. When Jessica Dunbar saw a group of police officers walk into the restaurant where she worked, a strange feeling washed over her. The waiter sensed that something was wrong and soon discovered that her gut instinct was correct. What she did next left the cobb stunned.
Dunbar works as a server at the Red Robin at Polaris Fashion Place Mall in Columbus, Ohio. She’s the daughter of a retired policeman who spent many years employed as an officer for Blandin Township. Dunbar is also a mother herself.
On April 10, 2016, the state capital was wronged by a terrifying incident. The SWAT team was called upon to issue a felony warrant to a man suspected of being involved in an arson blaze that had occurred the previous day. But when they went to confront him at his home, tragedy struck.
The suspect, Lincoln Rutledge, who was 44 at the time, shut himself into his building and refused to come out. He then fired a gun into an armored SWAT vehicle parked outside. Officer Steve Smith was hit during the standoff and was rushed to the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in critical condition. Two days later, it was announced that Smith had died, making him the 54th member of the Columbus police force to be killed in the line of duty. Coincidentally, the officer was also 54 years old, and he’d been working with the Columbus Division of Police for 27 years. He left behind a wife and two grown-up children, Brittany and Jesse.
Columbus Chief Kim Jacobs shared the heartbreaking news and said Smith would be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues. « We’ve lost a family member, the city lost a true hero, a true guardian and protector, » she told WCMH Columbus. « He loved life. His legacy truly is about living life to the fullest. He lived at 100 percent, 100 miles per hour. » Officer Kevin Wheeler, who became his friend almost 20 years earlier after they worked together in the aviation unit, also paid tribute. « He would take the shirt off his back for anybody in the unit or anybody that he knew that he could help out, even outside the unit, and brought all of our spirits up. Just unbelievable. »
Smith was laid to rest on April 19th, with a funeral taking place in Westerville. Hundreds of uniformed cops from his and other departments arrived to pay their respects to a fallen hero. Smith was honored with a bagpiper, a riderless horse, a gun salute, and a helicopter flyover. Following the emotional ceremony, a group of Smith’s co-workers decided to get something to eat, so they headed to the nearby Red Robin for a casual meal. It was then that they encountered Dunbar, who had an immediate sense of concern. The nine cops were sitting in Dunbar’s section, and she asked them how they were doing. « The one guy said, ‘You know it’s always a rough day when you got to put a brother in the ground,’ » she told WCMH Columbus. « Right after that, I was like, ‘I’m I got to do something nice.’ »
The young mother had heard about Smith’s story, and she pondered over what she could do to make the officer’s day a bit better. After they’d placed their orders, then as the bereaved cops tucked into their food, she came up with an idea. When they asked for the check, Dunbar gave it to them, but instead of presenting them with their $123-dollar bill, she placed the check face down on the front. The charge was zero dollars, and on the back, she scrolled a touching message for the group. « Officers, your bill is on me today, » the note read. « I can’t imagine the day you’re all having, let alone what you have to go through every day. I hope your days get better. So much respect. #WeSeeYou #PoliceLivesMatter #RIPOfficerSmith. »
Lieutenant Jeff Shelton from the Wellington Police Department was one of the cops at the restaurant, and admitted that they couldn’t have predicted what Dunbar did. « It really touched all of our hearts, » he told WCMH. « We weren’t expected to be treated any different than normal, and just for somebody to come out and do that, it really made our day. » Shelton added that the act of kindness made the group even more emotional. « We were crying all day, and then you got a bunch of guys and female officers in there crying, » he divulged. « Everybody at the table, uh, basically started crying. There wasn’t a dry eye there. »
Dunbar revealed that she was inspired to help because Smith’s story reminded her of her own family, specifically the difficult situations her father put himself through in his line of work. « He left behind a wife and kids, » she said of Smith. « It could have been me, it could have been my dad. » And she added that she was extremely touched by how grateful the police officers were for her thoughtful gesture. « Just to have a bunch of police officers, I mean, men and women that protect us, I mean, that’s what they do. And people look up to them and have them shake my hand and say thank you to me, that was incredible. »
Dunbar’s actions were shared on the Ohio Going Blue Community Facebook page, and the post soon received over 10 thousand likes. The server and her family were invited to be guests at the Lorain County Police Memorial, and commenters were quick to call the young woman awesome and praise her for a good deed. « Thank you for the support to our many brave and wonderful officers, » Jeff Hughes wrote. Another commenter, Julie Zielinski Morgan, added, « My husband was one of the officers at the Polaris Red Robin with a group. They stopped there to eat after the funeral. He called to tell me about it right away. Deeds like this are never expected but always appreciated. Sincere thank you from a police wife. »
Dunbar revealed during an appearance on Fox and Friends with Shelton that her former police officer father was very proud of what she did, and she admitted that the moment she told him was one of the only times she had seen him cry. The young mom explained that she was pleased to make a small difference in the officer’s lives. « You can’t put a dollar amount on making somebody happy, » she added to WCMH Columbus. « I just wanted to do something nice, honestly. I mean, I don’t know how it feels to be in that situation and make their day just a little bit better. » If you like the story, please give it a thumbs up and consider sharing it with someone who may find it interesting.
