An Oklahoma police officer responded to a call regarding a Child Abuse case back in 2015 and two years later, he is legally the parent of the boy involved in the incident. The officer found the boy submerged in freezing water, had his hands tied, bruised and underweight so he decided he would do much more and keep him always safe.
The officer, identified as Jody Thompson of Poteau, adopted John recently after witnessing firsthand how horrible his condition was. Thompson noted that when he saw John for the first time, he knew he was meant to be his son.
The first step he made to assure that John was kept safe was bringing him to Oklahoma Children’s Advocacy Center, staying with him at the hospital and talking to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) to enlist himself as the official guardian of the child as a certified foster parent.
John was underweight and had bruises all over his body
John, then 8 years old, weighed only 28 kilograms, which made him underweight. He also had bruises all over his body and a lump on his head for unknown reasons. Thompson added, “He did not have a spot on his body that didn’t have a bruise or abrasion. It was the worst thing I’ve ever seen.”
After the rescue, John was taken to a hospital and remained in the intensive care unit.
Thompson was beside the child all night and that was when he believed the boy will play a bigger part in his life. A few days after recovering in the hospital, John was taken home to the Thompsons, New York Daily News reported.
Officer’s family did not know they will have another member of the family
Initially, Thompson did not tell anyone in his family that he has plans of keeping John close to him.
He is married to his wife Jeannie and they already have two children at that time, 15-year-old Ryan and eight-year-old Charley. They were more than welcoming and by August of 2016, John officially became a Thompson. They also welcomed another baby as Jeannie was expecting during the time that John was first taken to the home of the Thompsons.
John’s sister also adopted by the Thompsons
The biological mother of John, who was not identified, gave birth to his little sister while in jail awaiting trial. The DHS officials in the state called them and told them about John’s sister, Paizley, so they decided to adopt her, too, The Sun shared. Thompson added he never dreamt of having a huge family but God has plans for them. It seems that the adoption did John well as he is now a straight-A student and is a member of the gifted and talented program as well as the local drama club.
