Sheriff's deputy rewards little girl's efforts at lemonade stand with special gift

An Ohio sheriff's deputy is being praised by the community for going above and beyond the call of duty to help a little girl at a lemonade stand.

On Tuesday, Deputy Zach Ropos was on duty when he came across a girl named Gabrielle operating a lemonade stand. Gabrielle's family had been facing financial difficulties, and the girl had been saving up money from the stand in hopes of buying an iPad to use for schoolwork and games.

But instead of just paying for a lemonade, the deputy decided he wanted to help Gabrielle achieve her goal. Ropos was going to give Gabrielle an older iPad he had at home, but when he found out that it no longer worked, he decided to buy a brand new one for her instead.

Ropos' gift became even more valuable when he learned that Gabrielle had offered to give up the money she earned from her lemonade stand to buy gas for her mom's car.

"You really make a difference. And all of the best to Gabrielle and her new iPad," Chief Deputy Frank Leonbruno on the sheriff's department's Facebook page alongside a photo of Ropos delivering the iPad to Gabrielle.

The post quickly went viral, amassing over 20,000 likes and 5,000 shares.

"Now there is a hero. This little girl will remember this the rest of her life. Well done Sir, well done," wrote one Facebook user.

"What amazing thing for him to do. Maybe more people should be as kind hearted as him," wrote another.