Selma Police Officer Doug Stewart can’t help but grin a little when he thinks about what happened Thursday afternoon.

It all started when James Benton, of Irving, Texas, was driving his vehicle through Selma’s streets and stopped at the intersection of Highland Avenue and Earl Goodwin Parkway.

Stewart, who also happened to be driving in the area, saw Benton stop his vehicle, leaving other drivers wondering why he had come to a sudden halt.

The reason for stopping wasn’t due to an ambulance or a police car. It wasn’t even because the car had suddenly stalled.

Unbeknownst to the other drivers, Benton had noticed something sneak into the under carriage of his vehicle.

It turned out to be a kitten. The problem was the kitten would not come out.

Doing what any good police officer would do, Stewart took immediate action.

That’s when Benton decided more drastic measures were needed.

He walked to the nearby Winn-Dixie Store and explained the problem to assistant store manager Gary Green.

Green offered Benton what he felt was a sure-fire solution to the situation. He gave Benton a few pieces of meat to tempt kitty from his new found lair. Benton walked back to his car, and attempted to lure the feline out.

Problem was the meat didn’t work either.

Stewart decided there was only one thing left to do. Call a tow truck.

Robert Turner, who owns and operates Al’s Towing and Recovery, arrived at the scene.

The kitten was removed by Mario Marzette, an animal control officer at the Selma Police Department, and taken to the Central Alabama Animal Shelter, where, for the present time, it has found a new home.

Stewart, who grins gleefully when recalling the whole thing, said the incident offered valuable lesson about the city of Selma.

Anyone who wishes to adopt the kitten can contact the Central Alabama Animal Shelter at 872-5683.