An Alabama woman revealed that a life-changing 15-minute conversation with a compassionate state trooper during a traffic stop inspired her to pursue a new career.
Alabama State Trooper J.T. Brown busted Abbie Rutledge for speeding on a Birmingham highway but, instead of giving her a ticket, he offered her some life-changing advice in August 2022.
“I think it was the right person, right time, and the right words said,” Rutledge told CBS News on Friday.
Rutledge, then 20 years old, told Brown she was working as a full-time driver for Coca-Cola and was nervous about how she’d pay for the ticket without a lot of money in her bank account.
The pair discussed various potential career paths Rutledge could take throughout their conversation, lasting between 10 and 15 minutes.
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“He challenged her to find a career and work toward it,” Rutledge’s mother Tammy Guthrie said on Facebook. “As they talked she realized Officer Brown had completed the Surgical Tech Program at Bevill State in 2013 where her mom was an instructor.”