Desperate Mom Arrested for Stealing Groceries, Cop Sees Her 3 Adopted Kids Are Starving

In an astonishing turn of events, a woman was caught stealing groceries from a store. When the police officers arrested her, she admitted to the crime and also stated her reason. But what happened next was something she never saw coming. 

Life isn’t a bed of roses. If we look around us, we’ll see countless people experiencing unlikely circumstances and going through endless periods of pain, trauma, and troubles. Sadly, not everyone has someone to count on, and enduring testing times alone can be cumbersome.

In a pandemic-stricken world marked by higher inflation, making ends meet can be a huge problem for people, especially those who have to feed their families. This also includes parents who have children at home that need food, shelter, education, and other necessities to be taken care of. 

Theresa West. | Source: Facebook.com/WRALTV

The story we’re sharing with you today is about something similar, and we hope, after reading it, you’ll feel encouraged to share it and be a force of change and support for those around you who may not always be vocal about their living conditions. 

TAKEN BY SURPRISE

Theresa West lived with her three adopted kids in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Life was hard for the woman because she was not only responsible for herself but for her children, making sure they were well-fed. 

One day, in November 2017, the desperate mother went to a local store in her hometown for grocery shopping. When she returned home from Food Lion, West was stopped by two Hillsborough cops outside her home.

HPD Senior Corporal Keith Bradshaw. | Source: YouTube.com/KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas

GUILTY AND SCARED

But the question was, what did the North Carolina resident do that made the police officers stop her for an interrogation? It turned out that the HPD officers, Senior Corporal Keith Bradshaw and his partner, showed up at her house to investigate a larceny.

The woman was deeply affected by the officers’ generosity and thanked them for their kindness. 

The police officers reported that West was caught stealing about $36 worth of food from Food Lion. When they asked her if she had stolen the grocery items, she admitted to the crime. But as the woman apologized, her voice broke off and she began to cry.

IT WAS HER ONLY OPTION

According to HPD, life was extremely hard for West and her three adopted children who had been starving for three days. A teary-eyed West confessed:

“We called the churches and everything and everyone was like ‘We go through Interfaith Council, we go through this and go through that’ and nobody would give us anything. We had nothing.”

With nowhere to go and nobody to ask for help, West said she decided to take what she could not afford. She added: “I had to go out and steal food, and that’s desperate, and I’m sorry for doing what I did, but my kids were hungry.”

THE STORY CHECKED OUT

The cops were moved by West’s story and decided to see if it checked out. One of the officers went inside her house and found that her kitchen and refrigerator were empty. Officer Bradshaw recalled:

“I opened the refrigerator and it was completely bare. I think there was one little pack of cheese in it.”

While the HPD initially took the mom-of-three into custody, they decided to do something to rectify the situation. After much thought, Bradshaw and his partner said they went to the store and spent $140 of their own money on groceries for West. 

THE BENEVOLENT OFFICERS

The HPD relayed the incident in a Facebook post dated November 6, 2017. The social media post went viral and has amassed over 2.5K reactions and more than 450 comments to date. A part of the caption read:

“Sometimes police work is not cut and dry. We are people first and cops second. More often than not, compassion for our #communitypartners shows through. This IS #HillsboroughPolicing, and Senior Corporal Brashaw and Officer Spragins should be commended for it.” 

After West was bailed out, she was taken aback when she saw the HPD officers returning to her place with two cars stacked up with food. The woman was deeply affected by the officers’ generosity and thanked them for their kindness. 

But that wasn’t all. Bradshaw and his partner said they assured West they would continue to help her find the support she needed from local non-profits. Thanks to the HPD officers, West, and her children finally had something to eat and someone to count on. 

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you think the desperate mom’s actions were justified given her circumstances? What would you do if you were in the officers’ place? Please don’t forget to share your valuable feedback with us, and stay tuned for more exciting content. 

Anomama