Florida officer unable to accept $1,000 lottery ticket gift

Comment #17

Michael E. Port — Sat, 30 Dec 2006 03:01:34 GMT

You seemed to be worried about what the man upstairs was thinking. I was thinking of the same thing when I wrote what I wrote

Now, I will agree that he did nothing wrong, but I still think he could have done it differently. This was NOT a bride he was accepting, it was a gift from an unknown person. She would have investing in a reward in heaven for her actions. He could of passed on his blessing to another, thus earning him a reward in heaven with our maker.

What has happened now i... [ More ]

Comment #16

emilyg — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 05:09:35 GMT

I always offer to pay for fireman, cop or soldier meal - very few let me.

Comment #15

Littleoldlady — Tue, 26 Dec 2006 03:33:59 GMT

He did exactly as he should have done..not kept the ticket and reported it to his superiors..he would not have been the only one to know he had accepted the ticket..the giver would have known and the Man Upstairs also. When a person is in a position of public trust, they should never do something that will tarnish their image regardless. Trust- once lost is gone forever. The Christmas Tree Angel program is also a good program. I am sure those children got nice gifts. Good story and good end... [ More ]

Comment #14

rdc137 — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 17:01:59 GMT

It is stories like this that restore your faith in humanity.

Comment #13

MARS7878 — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 16:52:28 GMT

I completely agree with Michael. The Police officer wasn't breaking any laws, If Mr. Yates wouldn't have told anyone this wouldn't be a story at all. People that know Officer Yates knows he is a Great Officer and an Great person before this. Next time Officer Yates keep the ticket, and continue to do your job being a Great Officer. God Bless you and your family.

Comment #12

Michael E. Port — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:54:07 GMT

While I admit, this officer was honest, I can't tell you that I would have done the same thing. He could have kept the money and still be an honest cop in my books.

Too many of us follow the Letter of the Law and not the Spirit of the law. The whole reason public officials can not accept gifts for any reasons is to prevent bribes from being taken.

The woman had good intentions. She was not asking the Officer to do anything, she did not give her name, she merely wanted to thank him fo... [ More ]

Comment #11

justxploring — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 08:12:15 GMT

DoubleDown, I can't even swim

Comment #10

johnph77 — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:43:53 GMT

Chris Yates? Man of the year.

Comment #9

rdc137 — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 02:12:22 GMT

Perhaps we should simply ignore him when he trolls like this, then he might just stop or leave.

Comment #8

DoubleDown — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:58:36 GMT

the old broken record just keeps on skipping and skipping and skipping and.......

Comment #7

fja — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:49:42 GMT

Comment #6

CASH Only — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:47:40 GMT

Maybe the scratch game is annuity-only. I would NEVER accept such a ticket.

Comment #5

1977 — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 14:39:20 GMT

A honest cop

Comment #4

LckyLary — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 02:16:21 GMT

Couldn't she have given it to him when he was off duty? He can't get any Christmas presents ever, no matter what, even from his family? Or who knows, maybe it was a booby trap and the woman was really an undercover investigator.

You might be better off at the airport... it could be the next Titanic .

Comment #3

DoubleDown — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:26:03 GMT

JXP, I agree -- once you've had a taste of the good life it is hard to forget--- hang in there, girl .

I believe in Karma -- your good fortune will come.

Hopefully it won't be like mine: When my ship comes in I will most likely be at the airport......

DD

Comment #2

justxploring — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:58:20 GMT

I agree that was honest, but he also would have lost his job had it been discovered that he accepted a gift. I know that any people who work for the City of Naples will be immediately terminated if gifts (even a pizza or a bottle of wine) are accepted. During a town meeting they discussed this and the feeling is that people are doing their jobs to serve the public and shouldn't expect to receive any more than their salaries and benefits. I remember growing up in Boston and every year we left a... [ More ]

Comment #1

s5thomps — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:47:23 GMT

Not to many people like that left in the world!, Most people (including police officers) would have not even thought twice about cashing that ticket. Kudos to him, I am sure he will be blessed for doing the right thing.

Florida officer unable to accept $1,000 lottery ticket gift

Lottery Post — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 21:33:01 GMT

Imagine if someone handed you a winning lottery ticket worth $1,000, but you couldn't spend it. That's exactly what happened to a Holly Hill police officer.

A mystery woman handed the officer the ticket.

Investigator Chris Yates got a bittersweet holiday surprise as he worked an extra shift at a Holly Hill Publix. A stranger handed him an envelope.

Stuffed a folded up envelope into my left hand and said, 'Merry Christmas,' and walked away from me, Yates explained.

It turned ou... [ More ]