EMMETT TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Emmett Township Public Safety Officer Ben Hall has gained a lot of attention after a traffic stop last Friday. While responding to a call of a child riding in a vehicle unsecured in a car seat, he met young mom Alexis DeLorenzo and her five-year-old daughter.
"When I spoke to [DeLorenzo] she was very forthcoming and knew that the child should be in a booster seat," Officer Hall told FOX 17 News. "She admitted that she was wrong and that she had recently fallen on hard times."
Instead of ticketing DeLorenzo, Officer Hall told the mom to meet him at a nearby Walmart so he could buy a booster seat for her daughter.
"It was the easiest $50 I ever spent," Officer Hall said. "It's something that anybody in the same position, in our position would do. in no way, shape or form expect to be paid back. It is a 'pay it forward' situation completely."
DeLorenzo said the generous officer gave her some much-needed hope with his selfless act.
"For a police officer that could have just given me a ticket, and gotten me in a whole lot of trouble, he out of the kindness of his own heart and out of his own pockets did something for me and my family that I'm never gonna forget," she said. "He did his job and above and beyond that, just to protect a little girl and to help a family that can't help themselves right now."
DeLorenzo added that she hoped to "pay it forward" too once she's back on her feet.
