Editor’s note: The following letter dated Oct. 27 was sent to Andover Mayor Mike Lensak and shared with our readers.
Dear Mayor Lensak,
The sole purpose of this letter is to sing the praises of a very special Andover Police officer by the name of Mills. The short version of the story is as follows. My truck broke down last Thursday evening in the middle of rush hour on Newton Sparta Road. Despite texts and phone commitments to the contrary, AAA Roadside Assistance failed to get a tow truck to me for over two hours while I remained parked inches off the road from traffic speeding by. That it was dark and car lights were blinding was nerve wracking to say the least.
At about 8 p.m. Officer Mills pulled up behind me and asked what the problem was. I explained the situation, which included the fact that the bed and inside of the truck were filled with boxes I had just gotten out of storage. Also, that my wife was parked and waiting for me about 75 feet in front of the truck. Our plan was to move as many of the boxes as possible from my truck bed and into our SUV so that the truck could get towed to our repair shop in Newton.
Much to my amazement, Officer Mills stopped traffic in order to make it possible for my wife to bring her SUV around so that the boxes could be offloaded from the truck bed directly into the back of her vehicle. He then assisted me in transferring the boxes into the SUV. Finally, he again stopped traffic so that we could make a U-turn and head back in the direction of our home in Andover.
I can hardly find words to express how fortunate I felt at that moment that Officer Mills had come to our assistance. I later learned that a tow truck finally brought my truck to the repair shop around 9:30 p.m.
Mayor Lensak, I would be most grateful if you would convey our sincerest gratitude and appreciation to the Andover Chief of Police for the extraordinary act of kindness and caring that Officer Mills extended to me and my wife last week, particularly under such trying circumstances. It will not soon be forgotten.
Most respectfully yours,
Richard Streiter and Vikki Barber
Andover