A five-year-old Mississippi boy called 911 to warn police about the Grinch stealing everybody's Christmas. It seems the pint-sized hero grew concerned after seeing a video of Dr. Seuss' famous Christmas curmudgeon on a phone.
Byram, Miss. police officer Lauren Develle then sprung into action. "Our dispatcher posted a status on Facebook that she had received a call from a little boy," Develle told USA Today. "And he told her he thought the Grinch was going to be coming to steal his Christmas. I asked her to send me his address."
Not long after, Develle showed up to young TyLon Pittman's house. Pittman showed the officer the video for proof of the green holiday villain. She assured the young boy that she wasn't going to let him get away with it. "The Grinch is not going to come steal your Christmas," Develle tells him in a video that has gone viral. "I won't let that happen."
Pittman's older brother TeDera Dwayne Graves II is home from the Air Force for the first time in four years, and filmed the interaction and put the videos on Facebook. The post now has more than 37,000 shares.
Officer Develle says she grew up loving the Grinch. She even earned a few comparison's to the story's protagonist Cindy Lou Who. "Every Christmas morning, my dad wears these Grinch pants," Develle says. "It's his favorite movie. Growing up seeing the Grinch every Christmas was my favorite thing."
Not long after their first meeting, Develle showed back up to Pittman's house with a surprise. It turns out she "caught" the green meanie and wanted Pittman to help her lock him up.
The boy then escorted the Grinch down to the police station, where he put the Grinch away in a holding cell. "You have saved Christmas for the people of Byram," the Grinch told Pittman. "Your bravery is unmatched. You have saved the day."
Byram police chief Luke Thompson then made the young crime stopper an honorary police officer. Pittman says he wants to be a police officer when he grows up, so Chief Thompson told him to come back when he's 21 and he'll give him a job interview.
Well done, young man, and well done to the Byram Police Department for helping bring some Christmas cheer to all of us.
