An Atlanta police officer who responded and found a 12-year-old girl shoplifting $2 shoes from a Family Dollar store decided to look a little closer.
Officer Che Milton said he wanted to find out more about the living conditions of the girl, who said she wanted the shoes for her 5-year-old sister, the police department posted on Facebook.
When Milton took the girl home, he learned she was the oldest of four children living in a home without much furniture.
“There were not enough beds for all of the children,” the Facebook post read. “The only furniture in the house was an old sofa and there was not much food in the home.”
The mother told Milton she didn’t work because she couldn’t afford daycare. She said her husband works but doesn’t make much money.
RELATED: Good Samaritans call 911, help police catch attempted carjacking suspect
RELATED: How Atlanta police handle calls involving the mentally ill
Milton decided to buy the family pizza and seek help through the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services.
The department said Milton’s actions “showed that not only is he here to enforce the law but also to go the extra mile and be a bigger part of the community he is policing.”
Anyone looking to donate items to support the family should drop them off at the Zone 1 precinct, located at 2315 Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway NW in Atlanta. Donations will be accepted from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information or questions, please contact APD Public Affairs at APDPublic-Affairs@AtlantaGa.gov.
In other news: