Once upon a time, Rameil Pitamber was a 17 year old honor student, struggling to cope with the death of his father.
It was six years ago, when Rameil found himself lost, feeling like he had a lot to prove and had to be tough. He was a self-proclaimed “follower,” and one poor decision would just lead to the next poor decision.
Those poor decisions lead Rameil down a path where he found himself robbing a Little Caesars with the help of a buddy who worked at the restaurant.
Rameil was arrested and convicted of felony armed robbery and criminal confinement, getting a sentence of 11 years in prison.
Brian Nugent was the police officer who arrested Rameil, and recalls the young man as being “memorable.”
Rameil’s mom, Daphne Harris, was heartbroken over the choices her son had started making and was in tears upon learning her baby boy would be spending time in prison, saying, “that just wasn’t his character.”
Daphne insisted Officer Nugent stay in touch, stating, “I needed him to know that [my son] wasn’t just another kid in trouble. I needed him to know that, you know, he has a home, he has a family, he has a support system.”
Rameil was released early for good behavior, and decided he’d like to get into home improvement and real estate, but felt he could really use the help of a mentor.
While working at Goodwill, he saw a familiar face dropping off a donation. It was Detective Brian Nugent!
Rameil asked Detective Brian if he’d be his mentor, and help him with his goal of “[not going] back to prison. I didn’t know 100% what to do to not go back to prison, and I knew that [Detective Brian] knew that.”
The detective told Rameil he’d be happy to be his mentor, but there would be rules, saying, “We’re gonna touch base every month. We’re gonna go out for lunch. We’re gonna have conversations.”
Some of those conversations included topics on finding a job, and navigating questions Rameil might get about his background.
This is a mentorship that showcases the truth that there are “more good kids out there than bad . . . More good police out there than bad.
Rameil is now a student with a steady job with a heating and air company, and started renovating his own home.
Detective Brian has even noticed the positive change in the young man who was once so lost after the loss of his father, sharing, “I think the change that I see most in [Rameil] is his confidence. There’s no better reward in this job than helping somebody succeed and achieve those goals in their life.”
Of the detective’s kindness and mentorship, Rameil says, “He treated me with compassion and understanding and he never treated me less than, not once. To this day, he still builds my worth and self esteem. With [Detective Brian] in my corner, I can do anything.”
(MSN)
