Fired Home Depot Employee Who Foiled Kidnapping Attempt Gets His Job Back

PORTLAND, OR — After Home Depot employee Dillon Reagan tried to prevent what he thought was a kidnapping attempt in the parking lot, his managers fired him. Now, nearly one month after his unexpected firing, it appears the company reconsidered its decision and has offered Reagan his old job back; and though he said he thought twice about returning, Reagan ultimately decided it would be the best choice, according to KGW News.

"Going back to work at Home Depot may not be ideal and I am still hesitant and wary about being back, but I think it's the best choice, right now," Reagan told KGW, noting that if he were again presented with the same situation that got him fired he would do the same thing.

On May 12, Reagan, 32, and another employee at the Mall 205 Home Depot, located at 10120 S.E. Washington St. in East Portland, saw a woman screaming for help from the parking lot, KGW reported.

"I stepped outside and sure enough, there's this lady whose frantic and crying, 'Somebody help me please! He's stealing my kid, he's kidnapping my child!’," Reagan told KGW.

Encouraged by 911 dispatchers to follow the alleged kidnapping suspect until police arrived, Reagan and his co-worker walked about three blocks before officers showed up and took statements from both employees, KGW reports. Reagan returned to work roughly 10 minutes after leaving.

"At the time, the only thing I was thinking about was the child's safety," Reagan told KGW.

But Reagan's Home Depot supervisor apparently disagreed with his decision and told him, "'You did the wrong thing. You should have just gone back to work,'" Reagan told KGW.

Just over one month later — and after an investigation into the incident — on June 19 Reagan was told that his actions in May were in violation of the company's safety policy, and that after four years of working for Home Depot he would be terminated.

KGW reportedly contacted Home Depot officials, and in a statement the company said:

This was a very complex situation, so we're taking another look at the decision. We always want to be certain that we're treating any associate fairly.

On July 10, KGW updated its story to reflect Home Depot's about-face and the offer to give Reagan back his old job, citing another statement from company officials:

We took a second look at this and have let Mr. Reagan know that we've decided to reverse our decision, based on the circumstances. We always do our diligence to make sure associates are treated fairly, which we've done in this case.

According to KGW, however, Reagan was not immediately taken with The Home Depot's reversal and initially denied the offer. KGW reports that Reagan then thought twice about it and decided instead to return to work — with back-pay.

"It was still the right thing to do," Reagan told KGW. "I was kind of in a catch-22 situation: I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't."

Photo Courtesy: Ashley Ludwig, Patch Staff