Responding to a call Monday about an 8-year-old who hadn't been picked up after school, Officer Darryl Robinson learned something even sadder: It was the boy's birthday.
With his mother in jail and no emergency contact information on file for other family members, the Green Bay, Wis., school didn't know what to do.
But Robinson, who had met the boy previously, did: He gave the child a celebration.
After a ride in his patrol car, Robinson treated the boy to a birthday meal at McDonald's using coupons provided to police for such situations. Police contacted the boy's grandfather and Robinson dropped him off, where he discovered the family also planned a birthday party later that night at Chuck E. Cheese's.
"He was excited," Robinson said at a press conference.
Green Bay police posted the story to Facebook and the story exploded across the internet, collecting 11,000 likes and 1,800 shares by midday Wednesday. Readers commented that the story had "restored my faith in humanity" and told Robinson "you will always be his hero and an inspiration to me."
At the press conference Wednesday, Robinson said he was surprised by all the fuss.
"I'm not one for the spotlight," he said. "I didn't realize it was going online."
But he declined to take much of the credit people were offering.
"Officers do this every day," Robinson said at the press conference. "Not just police, but firefighters, teachers ... everyone in public service."
Robinson said he plans to stay in touch with the boy to see how he's doing.
