'She Had Nobody' Until Clearwater Police Recruits Showed Up

CLEARWATER, FL -- It wasn't a matter of if they'd help a senior citizen in need, according to Clearwater Police Officer Darold Cook. It was a matter of when.

During a welfare check, Cook came across a 65-year-old resident who was struggling to maintain her home.

"She had let the condition of the inside of her home go in recent years, dealing with the loss of her mother and her son moving out of the country," Cook said. "She had no family or friends around to help her."

Cook said she told him, "I don’t want to live this way, but I don’t know where to start."

Cook, who was just sworn in as a Clearwater Police officer two months ago, recruited three fellow recruits to help.

Officers Stephany Maxwell, Kevin McCann and George Solakian joined Cook on Sunday, spending the day cleaning up the resident's home.

“She had nobody. Everybody needs a helping hand once in a while,” Cook said. “If it was my mom, I would hope that someone would help her.”

Images via Clearwater Police

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