Wallis police officer helps mother instead of issuing her citation

SEALY, Texas (FOX 26) - A Wallis police officer pulled over a mother on Saturday for a traffic violation. However, Officer Mario Alcala-Reyes did not give her a ticket and instead asked her to follow him to a store.

“I observed her two children in the back that I believe were four and five years old. They didn't have car seats or booster seats,” recalled Alcala-Reyes. He said the woman behind the wheel explained she is going through tough times and her husband is hospitalized and very ill. 

“This lady was really down on her luck and [giving her a citation] wouldn't of helped the situation,” said the officer. Instead, he gave the mother a warning and had her follow him to Walmart in Sealy. He bought the children booster seats and toys.

“[The kids] were smiling," added Alcala-Reyes. "That was biggest reward.”

A store manager saw what the officer did, took a photo and shared the officer's good deed on Facebook. The post has attracted a lot of attention. Alcala-Reyes said he wasn’t expecting any of it. He also said he was just living out his personal philosophy.

"It's to help people, have compassion for people and look at what they're going through," concluded Alcala-Reyes.