By Police1 Staff
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. — A viral photo captured a moment between a 5-year-old girl and Kentucky State Troopers after the funeral for slain Trooper Joseph Cameron Ponder, WDRB reported.
The girl, Isabella Gregory, and her mother, Sarah Yockey, stopped for ice cream Sept. 18 at McDonald’s following Trooper Ponder’s funeral service. Isabella saw Kentucky and Ohio troopers at the restaurant and told her mother she wanted to use her allowance to treat them to ice cream and put smiles on their faces.
“She [Isabella] said, ‘Their friend died, and it’s not fair because he has a family too,” Yockey told the publication.
Trooper Eric Homan told WDRB the group had stopped to grab a quick bite to eat and decompress.
“Was a long day, and after a long week we were physically and emotionally drained,” Homan said in his interview. “Her gifts of ice cream and her words of encouragement was more than a treat for our stomachs. It lifted our spirits.”
Yockey took a picture of her daughter and the troopers and both she and Homan posted it on social media.
(Facebook Image)
Yockey wrote in her post, “Today Isabella-Marie and I met some amazing men in uniform. These state troopers protect us on a day-to-day basis and risk their lives for my family and yours. The least we can do are small things such as buying them ice cream or a simple ‘Thank You.’ Their love and support for the kind act my daughter showed today is amazing. Thank you so much for putting a smile on my daughter’s face.”
The posts reportedly have over 4,000 shares.