Police officer buys diapers for shoplifting suspect
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this May 17, 2017 photo provided by the City of Laurel, from left, Laurel Police Chief Richard McLaughlin, officer Bennett Johns, and Laurel Mayor Craig A. Moe pose for a photo at Johns’ swearing in in Laurel, Md. Johns was called to a local grocery store on July 22, 2017, regarding a woman accused of shoplifting.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
This July 22, 2017, photo provided by the City of Laurel Police Department, officer Bennet Johns buys diapers for a woman accused of shoplifting in Laurel, Md.
LAUREL, Md. >> A rookie police officer in Maryland is garnering praise for an act of kindness he extended to a woman accused of shoplifting.
Officer Bennet Johns, who joined the Laurel Police Department in May, was called to a local grocery store on July 22 regarding a 20-year-old woman accused of shoplifting.
The woman, who reportedly bought some items but did not have $15 for two packs of diapers, was given a citation for misdemeanor shoplifting.
But Johns, who was raised by a single mother, was touched by the woman’s predicament and used his own money to buy the diapers for her toddler.
A photo of Johns at the cash register, taken by his training officer, began making the rounds of the internet after being posted to the police department’s Facebook page.
