Update: The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said they have reason to believe that the man mentioned in this story lied about his identity.
MCSO posted this update to their Facebook post about the event Tuesday afternoon: “We have since learned that some of this young man’s story may be inaccurate, if not an outright lie. However, our agency, and others, acted in good faith based on the information we had and we were happy to do it. Unfortunately…we get lied to a lot and as they say…no good deed goes unpunished .”
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See the original story below:
MORGAN COUNTY, Ala. – A team of police officers helped get a man home to Indiana after he was abandoned by his travel companions in Alabama on July 4th.
The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office shared the story on their Facebook page. They said that 23-year-old Willinaus Bolin, from Indianapolis, is autistic and was traveling to Florida on Sunday night with “friends” when they pushed him out of the car and robbed him at a gas station in Montogomery.
Bolin was left at the gas station with no phone and no money.
According to MCSO, officers with the Montgomery Police Department met up with Bolin tried to get in touch with his family in Indianapolis without success. Officers then transported him to a Waffle House in Vestavia Hills and VHPD tried to buy a bus ticket and flight for Bolin, but there were none available.
Vestavia Hills Police Department gave Bolin a ride to the Fultondale Police Department who then brought Bolin north to Cullman County Sheriff’s Deputy Dickerson. Deputy Dickerson bought Bolin something to eat before MCSO Sgt. Ferguson picked him up.
Sgt. Ferguson and Bolin then continued north to the Huntsville-Browns Ferry exit on I-65 where they met up with Lt. Flannagan from the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.
Sgt. Ferguson slipped Bolin $20 and wished him well as he continued on his journey home.
Mike Swafford with Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said, “It’s just a testament to the officer in Montgomery who began this chain and all the ones that followed suit to get that young man back to Indiana.”