Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re reposting it here in case you missed it.
Have you ever done something that you thought was nice, but then got in trouble for it? Unfortunately, when that happens it can have a negative impact, making people hesitant to do nice things in the future.
One Texas teen will definitely think twice about doing an act of kindness in the future. What started out as a thoughtful gesture ended in the young man running into some trouble.
Zack Randolph was an 18-year-old employee at Great American Cookies Company in Katy, Texas, according to a KSAZ-TV report from July 7, 2017. When a police officer came by to pick up some dessert, Randolph had an idea.
He told the officer that he wanted to pay for his treat, as a way of saying thanks for everything that he does. Randolph pulled out his wallet and paid the $2.75, not even taking advantage of the employee discount.
“He’s just a really nice guy and on top of that he has a badge,” Randloph told KSAZ-TV shortly after the incident. “That’s enough for me to buy him something. That’s the least I can do.”
Randolph was feeling good about what he had done until the next customers came up to the counter. The man and woman with their child apparently asked for free desserts and gave Randolph a hard time because he’d extended his act of goodwill to the cop but not to them.
Randolph’s mother, Tami Randolph, told KSAZ the couple was very confrontational.
“He was told, ‘you know you’re probably going to get fired,'” she said.
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“He put his daughter down and came around to the side and was about to come back and come at me and thankfully my assistant manager and my co-worker stopped him,” Zack Randolph told the station.
The trouble didn’t end there, though.
The teen was written up and received a week-long suspension from work.
Randolph’s mom, Tami, posted about the incident on Facebook, and readers were outraged at the story.
It wasn’t long before the Great American Cookies Company issued an apology. Randolph’s suspension was revoked, and the company admitted that it had been a misunderstanding, KSAZ reported.
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It is unfortunate that this incident occurred when a teen was just trying to show his respect for law enforcement.
“A lot of people I know my age don’t support police officers. I don’t think it’s fair,” Randolph told KSAZ.
It’s difficult to understand how some people can be so selfish and unkind, but we’re happy this young man was recognized for his graciousness. Keep being a light!
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.