Walmart to honor Hoppers’ pitcher Curt Petersen this Sunday

WALMART TO THANK GREENSBORO GRASSHOPPERS PITCHER CURTIS PETERSEN FOR HEROISM…..PETERSEN HONORED AS GOOD SAMARITAN

Walmart will honor Curtis(Curt) Petersen, Greensboro Grasshoppers pitcher, for his acts of courage in a Greensboro Walmart parking lot April 7, 2010.

As a thank you to Petersen, Walmart has purchased 1,000 tickets to the Grasshoppers game vs. Lexington (KY) Legends. More than 800 of these tickets will go to underprivileged children from the Greensboro community so that they may see Curtis Petersen pitch in person. Fans will receive a reusable Walmart bag upon exiting the game.

Game at 4:00 p.m.-presentation to Petersen immediately following game……

Petersen, a native of Aubrey, Texas, is a 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander from Aubrey, Texas. He is in his second pro season and is the fifth starter in Greensboro’s rotation.

Here’s what Curt Petersen did from a previous News and Record blog…..Jeff Mills and Dioni Wise reporting:

Greensboro Grasshoppers pitcher Curt Petersen stopped an attempted robbery Wednesday morning in the parking lot of the Walmart on Battleground Avenue.

Petersen, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander from Aubrey, Texas, said he was leaving the store when he saw a man attack a woman and steal her purse.

The woman, April Dixon, told police she had stopped to get school supplies when she was attacked by Andrew F. Conrad Jr.

“This guy came up behind her and grabbed her purse and her keys,” Petersen said. “She was yelling ‘Help! Help! Help!’ I thought maybe it was just a joke. … I thought maybe they were messing around. But then she got knocked down, and I knew it wasn’t a joke.”

Petersen said he dropped his things, ran to the Dixon’s car and grabbed Conrad before he could get in, pinning him against the car and putting him in a wrestling hold.

“I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘I’m taking her car.’ And I was like, ‘No, you’re not,’” Petersen said. “I had a hold of him, and he threw the keys back to the lady and said, ‘All right, all right, just let me go.’ And I said, ‘I don’t think so.’”

Petersen said a crowd gathered, including Walmart employees, and they surrounded and detained Conrad until police arrived.

Conrad, 53, of 5011 Bearberry Point in Greensboro, was arrested and charged with assault and common law robbery. He also has four misdemeanor counts of failure to appear and one felony count of failure to appear, Greensboro police say. Conrad is in the Guilford County jail under a combined $29,100 bond.

Petersen said Dixon’s arm was badly scratched from being knocked down and having the purse torn from her. He said he acted on instinct.

“She was yelling for help, and she kind of made eye contact with me,” Petersen said. “When she fell, I just took off running. It was just pure adrenaline. I didn’t even think. … It was shocking, you know? Is this really happening? I mean, it’s 9:30 in the morning, broad daylight, in a public place. Strange. I was the closest one to them, so I got there first. People are so nice, they would’ve helped her out. I just got there first.”

Petersen, 20, was the Florida Marlins’ fourth-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft. He is in his second pro season and is the fifth starter in Greensboro’s pitching rotation. He’ll likely pitch Monday against the Delmarva Shorebirds at NewBridge Bank Park.

Until then, he’ll be best known as the Hoppers good samaritan.

“It was interesting,” Petersen said. “I just went to the Walmart for toilet paper, and then all this happens.”

— JEFF MILLS and DIONI WISE, Staff Writers

2 thoughts on “Walmart to honor Hoppers’ pitcher Curt Petersen this Sunday

  1. With the lack of that info in the article above I knew that question might come up and here are the details from News and Record site by writers Jeff Mills and Dioni Wise:

    Greensboro Grasshoppers pitcher Curt Petersen stopped an attempted robbery Wednesday morning in the parking lot of the Walmart on Battleground Avenue.

    Petersen, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound right-hander from Aubrey, Texas, said he was leaving the store when he saw a man attack a woman and steal her purse.

    The woman, April Dixon, told police she had stopped to get school supplies when she was attacked by Andrew F. Conrad Jr.

    “This guy came up behind her and grabbed her purse and her keys,” Petersen said. “She was yelling ‘Help! Help! Help!’ I thought maybe it was just a joke. … I thought maybe they were messing around. But then she got knocked down, and I knew it wasn’t a joke.”

    Petersen said he dropped his things, ran to the Dixon’s car and grabbed Conrad before he could get in, pinning him against the car and putting him in a wrestling hold.

    “I was like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he said, ‘I’m taking her car.’ And I was like, ‘No, you’re not,’” Petersen said. “I had a hold of him, and he threw the keys back to the lady and said, ‘All right, all right, just let me go.’ And I said, ‘I don’t think so.’”

    Petersen said a crowd gathered, including Walmart employees, and they surrounded and detained Conrad until police arrived.

    Conrad, 53, of 5011 Bearberry Point in Greensboro, was arrested and charged with assault and common law robbery. He also has four misdemeanor counts of failure to appear and one felony count of failure to appear, Greensboro police say. Conrad is in the Guilford County jail under a combined $29,100 bond.

    Petersen said Dixon’s arm was badly scratched from being knocked down and having the purse torn from her. He said he acted on instinct.

    “She was yelling for help, and she kind of made eye contact with me,” Petersen said. “When she fell, I just took off running. It was just pure adrenaline. I didn’t even think. … It was shocking, you know? Is this really happening? I mean, it’s 9:30 in the morning, broad daylight, in a public place. Strange. I was the closest one to them, so I got there first. People are so nice, they would’ve helped her out. I just got there first.”

    Petersen, 20, was the Florida Marlins’ fourth-round pick in the 2008 amateur draft. He is in his second pro season and is the fifth starter in Greensboro’s pitching rotation. He’ll likely pitch Monday against the Delmarva Shorebirds at NewBridge Bank Park.

    Until then, he’ll be best known as the Hoppers good samaritan.

    “It was interesting,” Petersen said. “I just went to the Walmart for toilet paper, and then all this happens.”

    — JEFF MILLS and DIONI WISE, Staff Writers

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