Wednesday, March 2nd 2016, 12:08 pm
A Tulsa police officer on his way to receive the Rotary's ‘Officer of the Year’ award got sidetracked when he found and arrested an armed robbery suspect.
The suspect is now in the Tulsa county jail. Police said she used a knife to rob employees at a donut shop in east Tulsa.
The officer who arrested her said finding her was simply divine intervention.
Officer Jim McClaughry has patrolled the streets of Tulsa for nearly 25 years. His work, and the fact that he commits random acts of kindness every week, is why the Rotary Club of Tulsa chose him as this year's Above and Beyond officer of the year.
3/2/2016 Related Story: Rotary Club Honors Tulsa Firefighter, Officer, Of The Year
"If I can change one person to make their day a little better, maybe they will do something to make someone else’s life better," he said.
Before the ceremony to receive his award, McClaughry started his day like any other - heading from one call to the next.
"I really think it was a God thing. I just happened to be on patrol, I got a call to go to one location and was canceled, which put me in the vicinity of 41st and 129th," McClaughry said.
Police had been searching that area around the Paradise donut shop, after it had been robbed, and McClaughry found the suspect.
He said, "She had already gotten rid of the weapon, she had changed her clothes and her story was it wasn't her. But we had the victim herself make the identification. We had witnesses that followed her and observed her."
Police took Jacinda Osborn into custody and said they recovered all the stolen money on her.
McClaughry said he was just doing his job, and this kind of outcome is what every officer hopes for.
"When you catch someone, you know this is someone who could hurt somebody, and they are off the streets, I feel better," he said.
Osborn was booked for robbery with a weapon.
Police said, in addition to the victim identifying Osborn, there is also surveillance video.
March 2nd, 2016
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