Police Officer Responding To Welfare Check Notices Elderly Woman's Lawn Is Overgrown, Takes Time To Mow It

A police officer from Orono, Minnesota, is receiving widespread praise online after his random act of kindness went viral. Officer Matt Siltala was doing a welfare check at an elderly woman's home on Thursday when he noticed her yard was overgrown. Instead of leaving as soon as his check-in was done, Siltala took time to mow the lawn.

"[The homeowner] said she doesn't have anyone to mow for her," the Orono Police Department wrote on Facebook. "He grabbed her mower and cut the front yard. Very cool." The department shared a photo of Siltala that another officer took, showing the cop in uniform pushing the woman's lawnmower. The photo has been shared more than 2,000 times.

"Not sure why Officer McCoy, who took the picture, couldn't grab the trimmer..." the department joked. "Must be a union issue."

CBS station WPEC noticed that in a comment on the post, the Orono Police Department said people have reached out to see how they could help the woman with her lawn. The department said they will provide details in a few days.

First published on June 10, 2019 / 12:20 PM

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