Officer pulled over mom riding with kid for traffic violation. Instead of ticketing her, he took her to Walmart
Traffic rules have been put in place for the safety of citizens and efficient functioning. While there have been several instances where people’s lives have been saved due to the same, others have had transforming interactions thanks to these rules. When mom, Alexis DeLorenzo, was pulled up for traveling with her 5-year-old daughter while violating one of the rules, she had a life-changing experience, per FOX 17. With a cop approaching her, the mom thought she was in for trouble but little did she know that this encounter would turn out to be the one she needed the most. Instead of receiving a ticket, a hefty fine or a serious punishment, the mom was astounded at what the officer did instead.
Emmett Township safety officer Ben Hall was patrolling while DeLorenzo was in a car with her daughter, per CBS News. The mom was caught for not securing her child and using a booster in the vehicle, as the law requires. After receiving a call about the mom traveling with an unsecured 5-year-old, the officer pulled her up and engaged in a routine conversation. However, after speaking to the mom, he realized that there was more than carelessness and ignorance at play. The mom didn’t choose to travel with her kid in an unsafe manner but was forced to. “When I spoke to her, she was very forthcoming and knew that the child should be in a booster seat," Officer Hall said.
The mom was apologetic and explained her unfortunate situation to the officer. "She admitted that she was wrong and that she had recently fallen on hard times,” Hall recalled. After intently listening to the mom’s side of the story, the officer decided to give her something else instead of a ticket. “A ticket doesn't solve the situation. What solves it is the child being in a booster seat like she should be,” he noted. Any other person would have let the charges go at max but Officer Hall went one step ahead. He asked the mom to meet him at a Walmart nearby and purchased a booster for the child to give to the mom.
"It was the easiest 50 bucks I ever spent. It's something that anybody in the same position, in our position, would do. I in no way, shape, or form expect to be paid back. It is a 'pay it forward' situation completely,” Officer Hall remarked. What was just a gesture from the officer’s end was a light at the end of the tunnel for a troubled mom.
"For a police officer that could have just given me a ticket, and gotten me in a whole lot of trouble, he, out of the kindness of his own heart and out of his own pockets, did something for me and my family that I'm never gonna forget," said thee mom. "He did his job and above and beyond that, just to protect a little girl and to help a family that can't help themselves right now,” she added. Forever grateful for Hall’s kindness and generosity, the mom ensures she will “pay it forward,” just like the officer intended.