Cop buys clothes and diapers for mother caught stealing
When mother of six Sarah Robinson was caught shoplifting, this Kansas City police officer could have arrested her. Instead, he gave her the help she needed.
According to ABC News, Robinson's husband passed away in 2012, leaving Robinson to care for their six daughters as a single mom. The children range in age from 2 to 15 years old. They've been living out of a car, and most of their possessions were stolen. Robinson told ABC News:
"I was just going to potty train them, but I didn't have a place for them to bathe. I had lost my house and all of our belongings, and I don't have a job."
Desperate, Robinson went to a Walmart in an attempt to steal clothes, diapers, baby wipes and shoes. Before she had a chance to escape with the items, she was caught by security.
Upon arriving at the scene, Officer Mark Engravalle of the Roeland Park Police Department reportedly noticed that Robinson's children were not wearing shoes. He then noticed that rather than your typical television or video game, Robinson had attempted to steal necessities for her children. That's when Engravalle decided to only issue a citation to Robinson.
Feeling for the single mom, the father of two helped the woman out even more. He reportedly took Robinson back inside the store to pay for the children's diapers, clothes and baby wipes. He allowed each daughter to pick out a new pair of shoes. He told 41 Action News:
"Walmart might see her as a criminal, but I just saw her as a mom going through a really difficult time."
It then got even better. The next day, the Roeland Park Police Department reportedly called Sarah to let her know that the officers had arranged for a temporary place for the family to stay. After word spread of Robinson's situation, the local community members reportedly began contacting the police department to lend a hand.
Robinson now has a special bank account geared toward aiding her family while people help her find more permanent employment.
KMBZ radio reportedly raised more than $6,000 for the family. In addition, KCMO radio put together a donation drive to help collect materials and aid.
Robinson's story just goes to show that the world isn't black and white. Good people can find themselves doing bad things in certain situations. Sometimes, all they need is a little help from good samaritans to get them back on the right track.
Instead of arresting a woman for shoplifting,Kansas PO Mark Engravalle bought the diapers,clothes & shoes 4 her twins pic.twitter.com/5ebqwFtOV8
— Ava- I love my USA! 🇺🇸 🗽 (@WEdwarda) July 12, 2015
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