Domestic violence survivor thanks Santa Cruz County deputy for helping him testify in court

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, Calif. (KION) The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office shared a thank you note the department received after a deputy helped a survivor of domestic violence testify in court.

The survivor said his struggle with speaking English was the largest obstacle to calling law enforcement and told them that he did not feel comfortable enough speaking to law enforcement because the suspect spoke better English and he feared he would be misunderstood or have his words manipulated.

According to the Sheriff's Office, Deputy Marc O'Hara took the stand for the survivor and used Google Translate to help him testify.

"There are many reasons our deputies have for choosing this career path, but helping people who have been victimized get the help they need to live a better life is at the top of that list," the Sheriff's Office said in a social media post.

Below is the note the department shared.