OCALA, Fla. — Ocala School Resource Officer J.A. Fernandez says he’s been watching 13-year-old Yometh and his mother walk miles to and from school.
“Mom goes back again and then comes back again in the afternoon and returns home, so she actually walks this four times.” Fernandez said.
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Fernandez says he noticed Yometh was new to the area, and spoke very little English, so he made it a point to spend time with the boy and get to know him.
“The student is very humble...very quiet. He’s a really good kid,” Fernandez said.
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So when Yometh told Fernandez that he’s never owned a bike and doesn’t even know how to ride one, Fernandez says he made it his mission to change that.
“So I decided to contact Miss Cindy Turner from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to assist me to get him a bicycle...his first bicycle.”
Turner works in youth intervention for the sheriff’s office.
She was able to secure a donation for the bike, and Officer Fernandez surprised Yometh with it at the school for his 13th birthday.
“I work very close with the SRO’s at city and county schools,” Turner said. “I’m somewhat of a social worker, but I am there to assess the needs of juveniles that need help, and Officer Fernandez called me and said ‘Hey, I need help.’ That’s what I do and I got him help.”
Officer Gets Teen First Bicycle for BirthdayBIRTHDAY SURPRISE! Each day, #OPD Officer Fernandez, who is a School Resource Officer, would see Yometh and his mother walk miles to and from school. Over time, Officer Fernandez and Yometh would talk and get to know each other. Yometh is new to the area and speaks little English. During one of their conversations, Yometh mentioned that he never owned a #bicycle. When Officer Fernandez learned that Yometh's birthday was coming up, he wanted to find a way to get him his first bike. With some help from Cindy Turner of the Marion County Sheriff's Office, Yometh now has a brand new bicycle and helmet!
Posted by Ocala Police Department on Monday, October 11, 2021
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