The other day, Officer Elyse Helkenn of the South Dakota Highway Patrol was conducting a routine traffic stop on a speeding motorist when an unexpected event occurred.
She found herself making an unlikely new friend.
“As I was explaining the reason for the stop [to the driver], which was obviously for speeding, I suddenly felt something brushing up against my leg — not exactly what you expect when you’re out in the middle of nowhere,” Helkenn recounted to NewsCenter1. “And when I looked down, there was an orange cat.”
Helkenn inquired with a few locals to determine if the cat belonged to any of them before deciding to take him to the nearby Humane Society of the Black Hills. Within days, he found himself a new forever home through adoption.
It was a memorable and straightforward encounter — one that Helkenn will always remember.
“In the original video, which I just had to share with my coworkers, you can hear me saying, ‘Best traffic stop ever,’” she chuckled.