INDIANAPOLIS – An Indianapolis woman was reunited with the officer who arrested her 20 years ago on Monday. She wanted to thank him for saving her life.
Joyce Beaven thanked Officer William Pang for changing her life November 10, 1997 – the night she was arrested for theft and drug use.
"She just looked like she needed some kind words of encouragement,” said Pang, who was a new officer at the time – only eight months on the job when he arrested Beaven.
At the age of 27, Beaven was divorced with three children and often turned to drugs to cope.
"I was using crack every day,” said Beaven.
The night of her arrest, Beaven stole items from family members to pay for more drugs. She said once in the police car, she was given a pep talk she would never forget.
“I remember when riding to the jail and you looked at me through your mirror and said, 'You are better than this. What are you doing?’"
From that moment on, the mom of three vowed to never use drugs again.
"I believe that God was watching out for me,” she said.
Since her arrest, Beaven turned her life around by earning a master’s degree and landing a job as a social worker.
"I want you to know that you made a difference in my life, my children, and my grandchildren's life,” Beaven said to Pang. “Thank you for talking to me in the car and seeing something I did not."
