Florida Cop Buys Groceries For Shoplifting Mom

A Florida cop did an unusual deed recently. She bought groceries for a mom who was caught shoplifting almost $300 from a local Publix. Vicki Thomas, 55, is a police officer for Miami-Dade county and has been on the job for 23 years. She was on patrol recently and was dispatched to a shoplifting call at a Miami Publix.

Upon arrival, Officer Thomas discovered single mom of 3, Jessica Robles, with a cart full of almost $300 in groceries. Thomas said she was intrigued as to why anyone would try and walk out of the store with that much food. Robles told her that she didn’t have any money and she needed to do what she could to feed her kids.

Thomas, who is also a grandmother, then did something that has caught national media attention. She went back out to her patrol car, grabbed her debit card, and bought $100 worth of groceries for Robles. Not only did she buy the shoplifting mom groceries, but she also gave her a ride home. That’s right, Robles did not have a car, so Officer Thomas’ car became a grocery delivery vehicle as well.

At Robles’ house, Thomas met two of her three children.

“She [Robles] went into the house and said, ‘Come outside. The officer bought us groceries.’ They came outside and they were helping us bring the groceries in, going through the bags asking, ‘Can I eat this? Can I have that?'”

Thomas said after she dropped Robles off, she went on about her night. It wasn’t until later, after the media attention came, that she realized the magnitude of what had happened.

As for criminal charges, Robles was cited with a misdemeanor. Because Robles had no priors, Thomas was able to give her the option of getting the misdemeanor and a promise to show up in court. Thomas was able to do her duty and go above and beyond to care for this family.

You can check out her interview with Fox News’ Shepard Smith here.

What do you think? Did Florida Cop Vicki Thomas do the right thing? Or should she have been harder on the shoplifting mom?