Belgreen woman says arrest saved her life

By Staff
Melissa Dozier-Cason, FCT staff writer
Most people would consider being arrested the worst day of their life, but one Belgreen woman says that it saved her life.
Ann Gookin, of Belgreen, found herself calling the police for help a few weeks ago. She was having car trouble and it was very late, and she needed help. The dispatcher sent out an officer who found the problem right away and made sure she made it to work safely.
"Calling the police is a big deal for me because I have a trust issues with the police because of past experiences," Gookin said.
Gookin found herself on the other side of the law almost a decade ago. She is a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, and believes that if she had not been arrested for driving while impaired, she would have killed herself or someone else.
Gookin was addicted to heroin and abused alcohol. She spent six months in jail before calling the judge collect, asking her to help Gookin get clean.
"I remember calling the judge from jail and asking for help," Gookin said. "She sent me to a rehab center in Rogersville for treatment."
She spent six months in rehab, and like most recovering addicts, she was terrified to be back in the world again. Gookin has been clean and sober for almost eight years.
After rehab, she received two years unsupervised probation for driving under the influence.
"It could have been a lot worse because I was facing felony charges," Gookin said.
The journey through sobriety has been rocky, but now she has found a light at the end of the tunnel so to speak.
She has been given a second chance, and is working to have her nursing license reinstated.
"I surrendered my license to the board when I was out of control," Gookin said. "I was afraid that I was going to hurt someone."
Now that her life is moving forward again, she admits that she was a little uneasy calling the police for help.
But, she says that she is glad that she did because the officer went out of his way to help, and reminded her that without law enforcement, she might not still be alive.
"The Russellville police need to be recognized for all they do for our community," Gookin said. "So, I want to say thank you."