Officer Frank Hunt was responding to the report of a drunk driver in
a red Dodge Intrepid and was cruising Newberry Road in search of the
reported vehicle. When Hunt typed in the license plate number that was
radioed to him, the name of Reva J. Hobbs came up on his onboard
computer screen. He shook his head in disgust. This would be her
third DUI charge according to the report.
"You just lost your license, Hobbs," Hunt muttered to himself, "Don't
you ever think about your two kids?"
Officer Hunt then headed to the home address that was displayed along
with her name, not looking foreward to what he had to do, the matter
made worse with her kids having to see it.
He radioed dispatch as to where he was headed and with the call
acknowledged, headed down Newberry Road and to Sunrise Road
where Sunrise Trailer Park was located.
Officer Frank Hunt also radioed for backup, just in case there was
any additional trouble. He had responded to enough domestic violence
incidents and other calls involving alcohol and/or drugs to expect the
unexpected.
Hunt was also aware that Reva worked at County General Hospital
and units were probably headed there as well. He hoped she was
there and not at home.
Hunt then thought to himself, Who watches her kids?
He hoped they were somewhere else, too. In all his twelve years as a
police officer for the town of Newberry, he loathed any call that involved
children.
Frank Hunt then looked up at a picture of his own son which he kept
clipped to the sun visor of his police cruiser and thought about him.
Frank was a divorced man with his ex-wife awarded sole custody of
their eight-year-old son; whose name was Tommy. He had visitations
two weekends a month which was all the court would allow but he
loved his son more than anything and made those weekends with him
count.
As he neared the entrance to Sunrise Road, he glanced up at the picture
of his son Tommy, who very much resembled his father and said to it as
he turned on to Sunrise, "I love you, son."
Hunt wheeled the Dodge Charger patrol car into Sunrise Trailer Park
and slowly began cruising around the court and began shining his
cruiser's windshield post-mounted spotlight around the court in search for
Lot Twelve, the trailer where the Hobbs woman resided. He hoped her
kids weren't home.
When he finally found the lot the officer noticed the trailer was empty.
The car wasn't there. As he got out of the cruiser he went to the front
door and knocked a few times with no response.
In a trailer across from Lot Twelve, an elderly woman peeked through the
venetian blind of her living room window when she noticed a flash of bright
light momentarily shine through the cracks between the blinds.
The woman was wearing a drab pink bathrobe and her gray hair was done
up in rollers and had been reading a paperback book when she saw the flash.
She quickly looked up from her book, got up and peered out and saw the
police car in front of Lot Twelve.
"Oh my lands," The woman exclaimed, "She's in trouble!"
Then the woman suddenly remembered how a church van had pulled in not
long after she saw the Hobbs woman leave. She saw the two kids get in the
van. She remembered that it had the name of Newberry Community Church
on it. She decided to step outside to inform the officer of the kids' whereabouts.
Officer Hunt made his way back to his car and as he neared it he got a call
from dispatch saying that the Hobbs woman had been picked up at County
General. Hunt acknowledged the call and as he was about to leave he saw
an elderly woman standing next to a trailer across the lot from him waving
to him as if to get his attention.
Officer Hunt went over to where the woman was standing to see what the
matter was.
"Yes, ma'am," Officer Hunt politely called out, "Can I help you?"
"If you are here for those two children," the woman replied, "I think
they'd be at that Newberry Community Church. I seen the bus with
the name of the church on it."
"I see. Were the children there alone, ma'am?"
Yes, but not for long. The bus came maybe ten minutes after their mother
left. One thing strange, though."
What's that, ma'am?"
Their mother took off like a robber in a getaway car."
"I see. May I have your name and phone number please?
The woman gave her name as Alma Monroe and after she gave Officer
Hunt her phone number she went on to say that the bus which she spoke
of came by to pick them up every Sunday.
Hunt thought after she said that, The kids may still be at the church.
Officer Hunt thanked the Monroe woman and then radied dispatch as to
where the children of the woman now in custody were at present. He
suddenly realized with regret after he radioed in the childrens' whereabouts
that his unit was closest to Newberry Community Church. He would have
the misfortune of breaking the news to those poor kids.
"Tonight I hate my job," Hunt muttered softly to himself as he got back
into his car.
This concludes Chapter Ten.
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