claim: An Oregon man was fired from Home Depot after helping police stop a kidnapping.
origin: A 32-year-old Portland man gained widespread attention â€”Â and support â€”Â after revealing the incident that led to him getting fired from the Home Depot retail chain. Dillon T. Reagan shared his story in a 3 July 2017 Facebook post, which highlighted a letter from the Oregon Employment Department granting him unemployment benefits: The letter read as follows: < You were employed by The Home Depot until June 19, 2017 when you were fired because you assisted the police in preventing a kidnapping. This was not a willful or wantonly negligent violations of the standards of behavior an employer has the right to expect of an employee. > The department could not confirm or deny to us that they contacted Reagan, citing confidentiality rules. But according to him, he was at work on 12 May 2017 when a co-worker told him he saw a man attack a woman in the parking lot. Reagan said he heard the woman scream: â€œSomebody help me, heâ€™s kidnapping my kid, heâ€™s stealing my kid!â€ He then contacted police, who told him to follow the man as he left the store area. Reagan told us: < They said, donâ€™t touch him, donâ€™t engage with him, but keep an eye on him. Let us know where he is going so we know where to go when we get there. > After returning to the store, Reagan said he was scolded by a supervisor, and then fired four weeks later. His original post was shared thousands of times on social media, and Reaganâ€™s story was subsequently covered by national news outlets. A Home Depot spokesperson, Stephen Holmes, told us in a statement: < Our leadership team wasnâ€™t aware of the termination when it occurred. Once they found out and looked at the circumstances, they quickly reversed the decision. > Reagan â€” who had worked for the store for four years prior to the incident â€”Â told us that the story â€œblew upâ€ after he posted the letter from the Oregon Employment Department: < Before I knew what was happening, I was getting hundreds of messages a day from people all over the globe giving me their support. > He also said that he ignored what he described as â€œtons of messages from people with the most horrible things to say.â€ As the story picked up more attention, Reagan initially said that he did not want to work for the company again. But on 10 July 2017 he announced his own change of heart on Facebook, saying: < Home depot has offered to reinstate my position in the company along with appropriate back pay up to the date of termination as a show of good faith and has assured me that there will be no retaliation if I choose to take them up on their offer. A few minutes ago, I sent one last email accepting their offer to reinstate my employment. Iâ€™m still hesitant and wary about going back, but I feel that this is the right choice. Wish me luck! > He told us in a separate message: < I did miss my coworkers and I did enjoy helping customers. I had just recently been awarded a platinum customer service award (the Homer Award) and I took pride in what I did. Going back may not have been ideal and I am still wary about going back but I believe itâ€™s the right choice. > Holmes also confirmed to us that the companyâ€™s job offer included back pay and a â€œno retaliationâ€ pledge. We contacted Portland police seeking comment, but have yet to receive a response.