Jefferson City police officer goes beyond duty to help family
by: WATE 6 On Your Side staff
Posted: May 6, 2018 / 10:38 AM EDT / Updated: May 7, 2018 / 09:11 AM EDT
The Jefferson City Police Department says that one of their police officers went beyond his required duties Friday night when he helped a family pay for their groceries.
JCPD thanked Cpl. Patrick Vaught in a Facebook post.
"Although you you do not desire praise or recognition, I want to thank you for going beyond what is required (on paper) of a police officer," they said in the post.
According to a Facebook post by Josh Millette and Haley Swanger, they went to Walmart to buy groceries, just before 1 a.m. They were waiting to buy the groceries until money cleared on their card. The money had not cleared yet and their card was declined. They gave their groceries back to the cashier and walked out of Walmart. It was at this time that Cpl. Vaught went outside and told them to come back in. Vaught purchased their groceries for them.
"We heard 'hey! come back here for a minute', and it was a Jefferson City Police Officer,"said Swanger.
Josh says he went back inside while Haley stayed with the kids.
"I knew what he was going to do," said Josh. "I was 'like you don't have to do this' and he said, 'well, I don't have too but I'm going to,' he said, What kind of officer would I be if I didn't."
The couple says Vaught didn't want any recognition for his kind act.
"I told him thank you," said Swanger. "He didn't even know our circumstances and what was going on and he said 'I've been there, you're welcome' and walked away."
That post has since gone viral gaining close to 3,000 likes and more than 2,500 shares on Facebook.