La Vergne, TN - La Vergne High School SRO Cody Didier and SRO Jeremy Gregory helped a homeless, 17-year-old student obtain parts for the broken van he lived in, repaired the van and filled it with gas. The high school ATLAS coordinator learned the homeless boy was living in the van in January. She located a shelter for him but he could not drive there because his van would not start. She enlisted the help of Didier and Gregory who put jumper cables on the car but after the cables were removed, the van stopped running. They realized the alternator was not keeping the battery charged.

Deputy Didier called the Auto Zone in La Vergne and the manager donated the alternator after hearing about the student’s situation. The school’s students and Didier and Gregory installed the alternator. They noticed the van’s gas gauge showed empty. They paid for the gas to fill up the van with their own money.

SRO Sgt. John Acton commended them for their actions related to the highest honor and traditions of the Sheriff’s Office and the School Resources Officers’ Division. SRO Didier and SRO Gregory went beyond their duty to ensure a student could get to a shelter and back to school every day, the sergeant said. “Their types of actions represent the true definition of what it is to be a school resource officer in the Rutherford County Sheriff’s SRO Division,” Acton said.

Rutherford County was the first law enforcement agency in Tennessee to post school resource officers in county schools 30 years ago. The SROs provide law enforcement, mentor students and teach classes. They also help coach, attend school events and help students.