Arlington police help widow in need with fence repair, yard work

An Arlington widow who couldn't afford yard work and fence repairs found herself facing fines for code violations. But three Arlington police officers stepped in, going above and beyond to help her at home.

The City of Arlington sent warnings to Mary Joy Lott. But her already stretched fixed income was a major obstacle.

"I didn't know what I was going to do because the city was going to start charging me and I didn't know what to do,” Lott said.

A group of patrol officers noticed that Lott needed help. They dug deep into their own pockets and then began digging up ground.

“Nobody donated anything to us, we did it all upon ourselves, just to do a good deed for a lady in need,” Ofc. Leonard Moon said.

Some of them admitted to learning about fence construction for the first time while working on the project.

"This is my first fence,” said Ofc. Jeremy Lee. "This is the foundation of police work is. We serve the citizens and this is one way we can give back to the citizens of Arlington."

To protect and serve -- even if that means building a fence.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Lott said. “Restored my faith in people.”