“Lord here I come!” 

Somehow I made it to the bottom okay.  I turned off the siren, leaving the overhead lights and motor running, got out and immediately ran up the hill to his car.  He was long gone.

When you are use to getting out of a cop car at night, you just do certain things.  I found I had grabbed my flashlight and my gun was out.  I didn’t remember grabbing either one.  I looked up and down the road, but couldn’t see where he might have gone. It was probably just as well, I was really upset and I am not sure I wouldn’t have wrung his neck.   To run him down I needed help and I needed to tell dispatch where I was.  I got on my portable, but I was down in a hole and the five watt radio couldn’t get out.  I ran back down to the car, but I couldn’t get out on the car radio either. I didn’t know if I had backup coming or not.  I had not heard the sergeant or the county deputy on the radio.

I saw a ranch house with the lights on a couple hundred yards away.  I left my overhead lights on, shut down and locked everything else and ran to the house.  I got to the front door and hammered on it.

The lady of the house was home alone, waiting for her husband to come home from work.  I told her I needed to use her phone and to lock everything down.  I had no idea where my suspect had gone, but I didn’t need another attempt at rape to occur. 

I called dispatch.  Margaret answered.  I said, “Margaret, this is Art.  My car is in a ravine down from the dirt road that goes to the left just after you top the grade past five mile road.  I am at,” I turned and looked at the lady who gave me the address, “I am at 4500 Jap Hollow Road.  I am okay, but the suspect car is across the road and he is gone.  Did you get all that?” I asked, knowing that I was excited, out of breath and talking fast.  She said, “Yes, now who did you say this is?”  I was about ready to go through the roof, but Joe came on the line right then.

Joe said he had been reading the info over Margaret’s shoulder as she wrote it and knew about where I was.  He picked up the phone when he heard her question, he figured what my response would be.  He told me the county deputy was just arriving at the suspect’s car and the sergeant was almost there.  I told him I was going back there and to send a tow truck I would need it.

I got back to the station wagon and one of our Reserves who had a radio in his personal car was also at the scene.  We checked up and down the road but none of the three of us could figure out where the suspect had gone.  The Sergeant came up and decided it was too dark and not enough personnel to mount a search.  Then another car came around the curve, it was a Klickitat County Deputy that had crossed over the bridge to assist.  He pulled a spare tire out of his back seat.

The sergeant said he had been on the west end of town, and wasn’t able to get to the chase in time to do any good.  He stayed off the radio listening to my transmissions and heading my way, he did not want to talk and override any of my transmissions. 

While we were waiting for the tow truck we looked at the patrol car.  The ravine was only about 50 feet deep.  Somehow I had missed a telephone pole on the left and large rocks on the right, going right between them.  We got down there and noted that the car was next to a farmer’s field road that led to the gravel county road.  Sergeant told me to try starting the car, it seemed to work okay, although the mufflers had been torn loose, and I drove it on out of the field and then a little later back to the office.

We impounded the station wagon at the city sheds.  I headed into the office to begin my reports.  Joe was in the office when I arrived.  He had left Margaret at the Comm Center.  I asked him, “Did she have ANY idea what was going on?”  He said, “Yes, even better than I did.  I heard the start of the chase while talking with the clerk in the police office, so I ran over there and missed part of your transmissions.  When I got there she had ran the registration and told me where you were, I took over, but she could probably have done it all herself.”  I told him, “Joe I am glad you were there, it was like a calm hand on my shoulder.”  I then went over to the Comm Center and talked with Margaret a couple of minutes thanking her for the good job.  I asked, “How were you able to keep so calm?”  She said, “I wasn’t going to do you any good by getting excited.”

Margaret had contracted polio when she was a child and walked with difficulty.  She was a small person and very quiet.  She worked for us for a few more years, she then left us to work in a larger Communications Center in the valley.  I can honestly say I never again questioned her ability after Joe told me what happened.  I would rank her as equal to or maybe even better than the best we had, good ole Joe!!  Margaret died of cancer at a young age, but I will never forget her infectious smile and ability to remain calm and get the job done under the most severe and trying circumstances.  She was a special person.

Mark 15:2-5  And Pilate asked him, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answering said unto them, Thou sayest it.

³ And the chief priests accused him of many things: but he answered nothing.

⁴ And Pilate asked him again, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many things they witness against thee.

⁵ But Jesus yet answered nothing; so that Pilate marvelled.

It is interesting that I was given this verse as I told the story of Margaret and her being so calm.

Probably the calmest person at the trial was Christ.  While others were shouting and being whipped by the adrenalin of anger stood there and did not say a thing – except confirming the truth.

Hundreds maybe thousands of people are shouting, yet he stands there and does not defend himself.

I remember the consternation of Police Officers everywhere when they had to give the Miranda Warning – advising a suspect of his rights, including the right to remain silent – to every suspect in custody.

They were sure that would stop all confessions and make their jobs much harder.

While a criminal doesn’t have to confess – often times by the time they are truly a suspect there is physical or witness evidence that makes them a suspect, it allows the wheels of justice to run quicker and smoother if they do confess.

What we found from the vast majority, though, was they HAD to talk, even though they often give up information that further incriminated them, they HAD to talk.

Many wanted to deny the accusations – and admittedly since not every person was guilty they were telling the truth – and in so doing would give information that would lead to their release or being charged.  If they are lying they have difficulty keeping the thread and give up things they do not intend to give up.

You don’t have to be a Police Officer to know that, being a parent clarifies it quite well. 

Pilate knew that, knew that most men would have answered the accusations, made some defense.  Jesus did not.  He remained quiet and calm.

While all around Him were experiencing intense emotions, shouting and screaming – or His believers in disbelief and fright were losing their calm, how could He keep His?  The accusations were false and He refused to answer them, the truth would will out, even though it meant His death.

He is God and He does not have to defend Himself!

Many Christians in the last two millenniums have faced similar accusations and have not broken their faith.  They have remained steadfast in their testimony.

Because we know who Christ is, because we believe in God and all He stands for, because we can call upon the Holy Spirit to guide us in difficult time and because we have these examples that shown us we can be strong – God will give us that peace in times of trouble.

I am one of those that would have answered back, when accused I strike out – it is within my nature, the way I respond.  Jesus could have, the persecuted saints could have, but God wanted them NOT to, and He gave them the peace necessary to withstand the enemy.He H

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

There are times that we must speak out and speak up for our Lord against the forces of evil – and He will help us do that also – but often He wants us to remain quiet and steadfast in our hope in Him. 

Being calm in the face of storms was one of Jesus’ trademarks, He expects the same from us.

Later, Dad :-)

From the ColumbiaRiverGorgeous
May Our Good Lord Bless and Keep YOU....’til we meet again