- May 5, 2024
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Dear Editor:
On Christmas Eve, Ormond Beach Police Chief Jesse Godfrey and his son were entering his subdivision after spending time out of town with family. Upon entering the subdivision, Chief Godfrey and his son spotted a woman dressed in all black running out of the woods. This prompted him to stop his vehicle and see if he needed to help — sure enough it was a young woman running to find her dog. The woman had run over a mile from her home after her newly acquired escape artist. Chief Godfrey and his son watched the woman run across a busy Airport Road after her furry friend.
Chief Godfrey noticed the woman getting tired. The dog would pause and, as the owner would reach for the dog, the dog would run away again. A bright idea entered the Chief's mind: the Christmas ham that he was responsible for getting home was secured in the back seat. He started pulling pieces of ham off and throwing it to the dog to lure it closer. After some chasing, the dog finally gave in to the honey glazed ham. The woman and the dog were driven home safely by the chief, and the woman got to enjoy her first Christmas with her new rescue dog.
Once Chief Godfrey's daughter and wife arrived home, he broke the news that the ham would no longer be an option for Christmas dinner. The story of saving a dog and potentially a woman's life is way better than any Christmas ham.
I am sharing this story because Chief Godfrey has a philanthropic heart and creativity, and even more special, he will share those gifted traits with anyone. I think the meaning of Christmas and the holiday spirit were displayed beautifully by Chief Godfrey.
I am his daughter, but I just wanted to shine some light on how proud I am of my dad.
Megan Gauthier
Ormond Beach
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