By Police1 Staff
LAUREL, Md. — An officer responding to a shoplifting call took matters into his own hands after discovering a young mother stole diapers because she couldn’t afford them.
Rookie Officer Bennett Johns responded to a shoplifting call over the weekend and discovered a young mother who couldn’t afford diapers for her son, the department wrote on Facebook.
Police said she realized she couldn’t afford the two packages of diapers after purchasing some groceries. Although he had to issue a misdemeanor citation for theft, Johns decided to purchase the diapers for the woman with his own money. He said he felt compelled because he saw himself “growing up with a single mother and I want him to have a better life, too.”
“This mother was going out of her way and doing everything she can to provide for her kid and I can respect that,” Johns told Fox 32. “I can sympathize with that as well so that is why I felt compelled to help the mother in purchasing the diapers for the kid.”
Police Chief Richard McLaughlin said although they joke that their “field trainees are still in diapers,” he’s proud officers are doing the right thing, even when nobody’s watching.