Police Officer Becomes Sick To His Stomach When He Sees What Boy Is Trying To Sell For Food

A 7-year-old boy in the historical town of Franklin, Ohio, reportedly tried to sell his teddy bear to get money for food.

He was found on Aug. 7 by Franklin police Officer Steve Dunham, who got a report of a young boy wandering around the busy downtown streets alone, reports WLWT.

As Dunham said, “It broke my heart … He told me he was trying to sell his stuffed animal to get money for food because he hadn’t eaten in several days.”

He took the enterprising boy to a nearby Subway restaurant to get a sandwich, then escorted him back to the Franklin Police Department, where they “said a little prayer and ate dinner together,” Dunham said.

Further investigation revealed the boy and his four brothers lived in a home full of trash and liquor bottles. The boys’ parents, Tammy and Michael Bethel were charged with 10 counts of child endangering. Their children, who range in age from 7 to 17, are now staying with family members, and the parents are not allowed to have contact with them.

Dunham says was just doing his job, and made a new friend in the process. The new friends even played together at the police station. Dunham said: “I came back to check on him and he was hiding. He jumped out to scare me when I came back in the building; he got me real good.“

He concluded with a philosophical thought on the matter, saying most police officers just want to go home at the end of the day feeling like they’ve done something positive and had a positive impact on the community.

Sources: WLWT, City of Franklin / Photo credit: BlueLivesMatter.com