Gregg County, TX — January 20, 2018 is a date the Gregg County Sheriff's Office will remember for a long time.
It's the day three men; Jacob Taylor, Bron Dent, and Michael McDaniel sprang in to action to help officers in need.
Thursday, August 9, the Sheriff honored those three men with a humanitarian award.
Corporal Public Information Office with Gregg County, Joshua Tubb was one of the officers involved in the incident.
"It was a very emotional experience when we look up and see citizens of our county rushing to our aid," he said.
It started out as a Welfare concern call that Deputy Nieves was sent out on, a disoriented individual walking in the middle of the roadway.
Corporal Tubb was leaving an event he was speaking at and was nearby, so he went to assist.
That individual was Jesse Waylan Hardy.
Bron Dent had seen him earlier, before the officers arrived.
"Originally I had seen the suspect walking down 135 and I was at EZ Mart and I left there and went to the Dollar General and when I came back through there I saw the officers scrambling with him on the ground," Dent said.
He was concerned, but didn't know if the officers wanted his assistance.
"I rolled my window down and looked down at them and I said, 'would you like some help?' And she looked up and she said, 'please.' so I jumped out," Dent said.
Another man asked what he could do.
"Deputy Nieves just asked for him to block traffic, because we're in the middle of the roadway," Tubb said. After doing so, he went back to assist the officers.
Then a third man joined. In total three men came to their aid.
"Their selfless actions. You know, they got out knowing that this guy was being violent," the corporal said.
That wasn't something Dent could just drive by.
"It gives me a real appreciation for their hard work, that was- they put their lives in jeopardy," he said.
An act the two officers, along with the sheriff's office will not soon forget.
"It's an amazing feeling to know that you're supported by your community that way," Tubb said.
Jesse Hardy is currently in the Gregg County jail on a $62,000 dollar bond for two counts of assault against a public servant and one count resisting arrest.