“He’s another human being. He needed a hand. That’s how we roll at CPD.”

BRIAN HUGHES Crestview Police Department cnbbrian

CRESTVIEW — When a pair of Crestview Police Department officers were dispatched to Main Street South at State Road 85 for a citizen welfare check on Thursday, they encountered a homeless man sitting by the road. The man appeared to be in a weakened condition.

“He mentioned he hadn’t eaten for a long time and Corey and Christina handled that,” fellow officer Nate Marlar said of his colleagues, officers Corey Newcomb and Cristina Dawson.

The officers picked up a to-go order of food from a nearby eatery, paid for it from their own pockets and returned to give it to the man, then remained with him a few minutes to make sure he was OK.

“A concerned citizen had seen him and gave us a call,” Newcomb said. “We talked to him and found he hadn’t eaten in a couple of days, so we got him some food from the Exxon station store.”

Marlar said officers try not to judge citizens they encounter by their appearances or situations.

“He’s another human being,” he said. “He needed a hand. That’s how we roll at CPD.”