After a cop stopped a troubled teen who was sprinting down the road, he decided to take matters into his own hands to help the kid.
Years ago, Peoria Police Officer Brandon Sheffert was out on routine patrol when he saw something strange.
“We were just driving around patrolling, and we noticed this kid who was sprinting down 85th Avenue,” Officer Sheffert recalled. “We were kinda like, ‘This is odd. Nobody sprints like that, so let’s stop this kid.’”
The teen was then-16 year old Anthony Schultz, who said he was just out for a jog. But, the cop couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to the kid’s story.
“Something about it bugged me because I couldn’t get through to him,” Officer Sheffert said. “He just seemed like there was something going on, and that there was something that was hurtful going on that he wouldn’t say.”
Feeling concerned about Anthony, Officer Sheffert began stopping by the apartment complex where the kid lived in a one-bedroom apartment with seven family members.
“I kept coming over here, talking to him, spending time with him, getting to know him, getting to know the family, understand what’s going on,” the officer said.
Sheffert then took his concerns one step further, becoming Anthony’s mentor through the YMCA Reach & Rise program, which meant the world to the grateful teen.
“I had a role model,” Anthony recalled. “I had someone I could look up to. I had someone I could aspire to be.”
But, things soon got worse for the teen, leading to a concerning phone call for Officer Sheffert.
“It got to a point one night where I get a phone call,” the cop said. “You need to come take him. I can’t take him anymore,” the officer recalled, recounting what Anthony’s mother, who was on the other end of the line, told him.
“I was like, ‘whoa, whoa, whoa. That doesn’t make sense,’” Sheffert added.
Regardless, the officer knew what do to, and immediately took Anthony in, allowing him to stay with him. A few days later, the teenager’s home life got better, and he was able to return to his family. Unfortunately, that only lasted a little while.
As soon as Anthony turned 18, he was homeless. Luckily, he was quickly welcomed back into the officer’s home for as long as he needed.
“This kid just keeping getting hit over and over with things that no kid should have to go through,” Officer Sheffert said. “We have taken him in as one of our own.”
“Even my kids say he’s their big brother, and they love it,” the cop added.
Anthony was ecstatic.
“I don’t have to worry about food,” the teenager said. “I don’t have to worry about other things some kids shouldn’t have to worry about.”
Thanks to Officer Sheffert, Anthony had his own bedroom, and was able to go on vacations with his new family, take his first plane ride, learn to drive, and found his first job.
With his new, stable home life, Anthony was able to break a 30-year cycle, becoming the first person in his family in three decades to graduate high school on time. And his new family was there to witness his graduation.
Anthony credits Officer Brandon Sheffert with helping him achieve this milestone, stating that he doesn’t believe he would have made it this far without him.
“I don’t think I would be here. I wouldn’t be the person I am. I could be in jail for all I know,” he said. “I feel as though there’s not a lot stopping me, at this point.”
“I love the positivity. I love having someone that believed that I could do anything, and ultimately helped me succeed in life,” Anthony added.
“One person can make a difference in any person’s life,” he continued. “Brandon’s that person that made a difference in my life.”
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