In a world where the scales of justice seem increasingly tipped, a lone police officer’s unexpected act of compassion in the face of irresponsible behavior serves as a beacon of true conservatism and community responsibility.
When West Virginia police received a call about a peculiar situation in a Kroger grocery store bathroom, they anticipated it to be just another routine response. However, upon hearing the noises from the restroom stall, one officer emerged with a completely different perspective.
A Kroger grocery store near Charleston reported a woman who entered the restroom with a baby and hadn’t come out for an extended period. It was early morning, and the store was less crowded than usual. None of the employees dared to enter the restroom when they heard the noises, so they decided to call the police.
Sergeant Phillip Bass, the first to arrive at the scene, was met with store employees at the entrance. Although he had encountered many unusual incidents in his career, he was utterly unprepared for the scene he discovered in the women’s bathroom. An employee informed him that a woman had been in the bathroom for about 20 minutes, yelling at the baby she had with her.
Inside the restroom, Bass found 39-year-old Donnyell Harrison, who was supposed to be babysitting the 14-month-old baby. However, she was attempting to hide illegal drugs from the police. The baby, neglected and hungry, was crying for attention as it sucked on a bottle filled only with Dr. Pepper. Sergeant Bass was disgusted but was about to leave everyone in shock with his subsequent actions.
Upon questioning Harrison about the lack of proper nourishment for the baby, she claimed to have nothing else to offer. Bass didn’t accept this excuse, particularly since they were in a grocery store. Harrison was arrested for drug possession with intent to distribute and joined the baby’s mother, who was already incarcerated, in South Central Regional Jail.
With nobody to look after the baby and Child Protective Services (CPS) unavailable, Sergeant Phillip Bass took it upon himself to care for the child. He left the restroom cradling the baby in his arms. Since CPS couldn’t take the child until the next day, Bass stayed up all night comforting, rocking, and feeding the neglected baby. Fellow officers at the St. Albans Police Department contributed by purchasing essentials such as diapers, food, and toys for the child.
Sergeant Bass and his colleagues demonstrated extraordinary compassion and care that the baby had likely never experienced in her 14-month life. Her mother had prioritized her criminal behavior over the baby’s needs and left her in the hands of an irresponsible caregiver. But, when faced with this tragic situation, Officer Bass stepped up, embodying both a fatherly figure and a dedicated officer, going above and beyond the call of duty.
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Sources: Taphaps, WOWK, Journal-News