By Mary Divine

St. Paul Pioneer Press

When Brad and Molly Nemec’s Dodge Durango broke down in downtown Stillwater last month, they called City Hall to explain that it would be stranded overnight.

The Lindstrom, Minnesota, couple, who rescue Jindu dogs destined for slaughter in Korea, were on their way to pick up six dogs in Wisconsin when their SUV overheated near Teddy Bear Park.

The dogs, flown from Seoul to Chicago, had been picked up at O’Hare International Airport by a friend of Nemec’s. The friend planned to meet the Nemecs near the Wisconsin Dells, a halfway point between their home and the Chicago airport.

“We called and asked them not to tow us,” Molly Nemec said. “We were trying to get a rental car, but all the rentals were full because it was the holiday weekend. We needed one large enough to fit six dog kennels.”

Brad Junker, the Stillwater Police Department’s community service officer, went to check on the Nemecs about 2 p.m. June 30.

“Their hood was up,” Junker said. “I asked if there was something I could do — if they needed food or if they needed water.”

Molly Nemec started crying as she told Junker their situation.

“She explained that they might be missing their meeting point, and they didn’t know what to do,” he said. “They were trying to make contact with some people back in Lindstrom … and they just weren’t having any luck.”

Junker, who owns a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban, quickly realized he could help. He went and got it and let them borrow it for their rescue mission.

“I don’t know; it just seemed like the thing to do,” Junker said. “I said, ‘Why don’t you just take my vehicle? I have to work for another four or five hours. I won’t be using it. It’s just sitting in the parking lot, so why don’t you just use it?’ “

Molly Nemec, 40, an elementary-school counselor, said she couldn’t believe his offer. She made him say it twice.