State Trooper Cares for Baby Found During DUI Arrest

A West Virginia state trooper went above and beyond the call and duty by caring for a baby boy he found during a DUI arrest.

Last week, trooper Derek Graham was arresting a driver found to be under the influence when he and his partner found a baby in the backseat of her car covered in vomit, urine, and feces.

Graham spoke to the Washington Post about the incident, saying, “It was probably the most disgusting thing I’ve seen thus far in my law enforcement career involving a child, especially an infant.”

The officer brought the baby to the police station, however Graham took things a step further, bringing the baby to his home to clean the boy up.

“In my head, I’m a father myself, and I couldn’t sit there and let him… I couldn’t let him sit in that,” said Graham.

After getting the baby cleaned up, Graham turned the child over to Child Protective Services who’ve since placed the child with a legal guardian.

Lieutenant Michael Baylous, public information officer for the West Virginia State Police, spoke highly of Graham’s actions to Today:

“The superintendent of the West Virginia State Police has strongly encouraged us to not just focus on the protection, but also on the service part of ‘protect and serve’ so it doesn’t surprise me at all. Our troopers are very active in their communities. They’re stakeholders in their communities. They serve their communities. I can understand that he saw a need that needed to be taken care of with this child, and he did what needed to be done.”

The child is currently still in the care of his CPS appointed legal guardian, though Baylous said all the troopers involved are rooting for the boy’s parents to turn their life around.