The police in Byram, Mississippi got into the holiday spirit when 5-year-old TyLon Pittman called to warn them about The Grinch. TyLon’s 9-1-1 went viral back in 2017 and it has resurfaced on social media again this year, as usual. As you can see, officer Lauren Develle went to TyLon’s house personally to put him at ease.
TyLon called 9-1-1 a few years ago after seeing the Grinch on TV, asking the police to come take care of him. He said: “I want y’all to come back to my house and take him to jail.” The dispatcher who took the call thought it was so funny that she posted about it on Facebook, and Develle asked for the address so that she could reassure TyLon. TyLon’s older brother, TeDera Graves, later posted a video on Facebook showing TyLon’s visit with Develle.
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Officer Develle told The Clarion Ledger that Dr. Seuss‘s How The Grinch Stole Christmas has a special place in her heart as well, since she’s spent a lifetime being compared to Cindy Lou Who.
“I kind of find it really funny… Every Christmas morning, my dad wears these Grinch pants,” she told reporters. “It’s his favorite movie. Growing up seeing the Grinch every Christmas was my favorite thing.” It was for that reason she went above and beyond to make sure TyLon felt that his Christmas was secure.
Develle even arranged for TyLon to help her put the Grinch behind bars and put his mind at ease. She and other officers gave TyLon – an aspiring police officer – some early career training as they apprehended a costumed Grinch and put him into a holding cell. TyLon even got to interrogate the villain about why he steals Christmas.
“For them to go this far and have this happen, when he wants to be a police officer, it means a lot,” Graves told the Ledger. “And it just shows that there are some really good people out there.”
