Officer searches beach for hours to find lost engagement ring

May 16 (UPI) -- A Texas woman is praising a police officer who spent hours on a beach to find and return her lost engagement ring.

Jessica Haelen said she left the Galveston beach on Saturday and was eating at a restaurant when she realized her engagement ring was missing.

Haelen returned to the location after dark and set about trying to locate the lost item.

Galveston Police Officer Derrick Jaradi spotted her wandering on the beach and offered his assistance with the search, explaining he had actually just gotten engaged earlier that same day.

Jaradi used a metal detector and the pair searched together for hours before giving up for the night.

Haelen said she received a message from Jaradi about 4:30 a.m. saying he had found the ring. The officer said he had been called out to investigate a party at the same beach and had decided to take one last look for the ring while he was there.