A police officer from Somerset, Massachusetts, bought groceries for two women accused of shoplifting five days before Christmas.
Officer Matt Lima was dispatched to a local Stop & Shop grocery store, where two women with two young children were accused of not combing through all their purchases at the self-checkout lane, according to the Somerset Police Department.
“The two children with the women reminded me of my children, so I had to help them,” said Lima in a statement on Tuesday.
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When the policeman arrived at the warehouse, he spoke to one of the women accused of theft and learned that they were having a difficult time and had no money to buy an entire Christmas dinner.
“The woman I spoke to explained that she was working, but the children’s mother was not working and had some other family problems going on and that what she had brought was the children’s Christmas dinner,” Lima told the local WJAR news.
Somerset Patrolman Matt Lima (source: Somerset Police Dept.)
The policeman checked the women’s receipts and realized that they had not bought anything other than food, according to the outlet.
Store employees asked the two women to return items they had not read on the shelves and issued a “Do Not Overtake Notice” request. Lima, who also has two young daughters, decided to help the two women. So, instead of punishing them, he bought a $ 250 gift card to cover the total cost of his purchases.
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“Obviously, this family was in need, and I can’t imagine having to make the decision to go to the Stop & Shop and pay only what I can afford – or do I go there and try to take things for Christmas dinner for the kids?” Lima told WAJR.
He added that the women were “very grateful” and “a little shocked”.
“I bought the gift card close to the amount that would have been taken,” the official told the establishment. “I just did what I thought was right. It’s not about me, I just tried to put myself in that family’s shoes and show a little empathy.”
The incident was “a true testament to Officer Lima’s great character and decision-making ability,” Somerset Police Chief George McNeil said in a statement.
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“I would like to personally commend Officer Lima for his actions,” said McNeil. “His actions exemplify what it means to protect and serve the members of our community. When faced with a difficult situation where a family tried to provide a meal for their children, he made the generous decision not to press charges and instead ensured that they would have a Christmas dinner that they could enjoy. “