It was the kind of early morning shift Deputy Robert Pounds had worked countless times before. The streets were quiet, the sky still dark, and most of the city was asleep. At around 4:30 a.m., as he patrolled Airport-Pulling Road, his radar clocked a car moving well above the speed limit—63 mph in a 45.

Routine, he thought. A simple traffic stop. But what unfolded in the minutes that followed was anything but routine.

As Deputy Pounds approached the driver’s window, ready to ask the standard questions, he immediately noticed something unusual. The driver was frantic, his hands gripping the wheel tightly. Then Deputy Pounds glanced to the passenger’s side—and everything shifted.

The woman in the seat wasn’t just distressed. She was in labor. And not just early contractions—she was about to deliver.

In an instant, the speeding ticket became irrelevant. Training and instinct kicked in. Deputy Pounds called for EMS and backup, his voice steady even as the urgency rose. Grabbing a blanket from his patrol car, he rushed back to the passenger side.

Moments later, right there on the side of the road, life entered the world. In the glow of flashing patrol lights, a beautiful baby girl was born into the arms of a deputy who had only expected to issue a citation minutes before.

Deputy Pounds carefully ensured the newborn was breathing, then comforted the exhausted but relieved mother until help arrived. When EMS reached the scene, they cut the cord, checked both mother and baby, and transported them safely to the hospital.

What had begun as a speeding stop ended with a cry—a baby’s first breath—and a father’s tears of joy. Sgt. David Drucks, amid the flurry of activity, managed to capture a quick photo of Deputy Pounds standing beside the proud new dad, both of them smiling through the adrenaline of the moment.

For Deputy Pounds, it was another reminder that law enforcement is about more than enforcing laws. It’s about being ready for anything, at any moment—even delivering a child on the side of the road.

That morning, he didn’t just protect and serve. He helped bring new life into the world.