THPD officers lend a helping hand to elderly woman

The Terre Haute Police Department handles many routine criminal matters, but officers recently took on a more unique assignment that has the Chief and other supervisors patting those involved on the back.
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Last Sunday, THPD Officers Jesse Chambers and Devon Huebner noticed an elderly woman outside her residence at 24th and Chase Streets while they were patrolling the area. After talking with Opal Bilyou, they realized she had a plumbing issue with a toilet that could easily be fixed. They offered to help her once she bought the a new float and valve. Meanwhile, Bilyou managed without running water in the home. 

The officers returned to the residence the following day. Bilyou had not purchased the correct parts for the job and they noticed the situation was more urgent than they initially thought. She was collecting rain water with a plastic tote outside to be able to flush her toilet since the water company had shut it off. The two officers realized Biloyou did not drive and she was going to walk back to the store in the rain.  They told her to go inside her house while they went to the store and purchased  the parts at a cost of more than $15 for her with their own money.  

The problem was fixed. Chambers and Huebner then went  outside to the water meter in the pouring down rain and restored the water service to the house. It's not known how long  Bilyou did not have water because of the issue  with her toilet.

"While our officers do many things that are outside the scope of  their duties to help citizens, this story was unique and worthy of being shared.  I am extremely proud of both officers and believe sharing stories like theirs is important now more than ever," Chief Shawn Keen said today.

Their supervisor, Sgt.  Jeremy Sparks agrees with Keen that  the officers need to be commended for going above and beyond by helping out an elderly resident. 

"Not many people would  have taken the time and put forth the effort  these two officers did. I believe that Officer Chambers and Huebner are two of the finest officers on this department and this is just yet another example of the outstanding job they do," Sparks said.