Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ST. GEORGE — Josh Blake's stolen property was recovered by police, but there was a complication: some of his items had been given to a young boy as a birthday present.
The child was left without a gift after investigators were required to seize the goods, according to the St. George Police Department. The items were stolen from Intermountain Wood Products, where Blake works in St. George, during a burglary at the beginning of November.
When police told Blake that his items were recovered, they also told him about the boy's situation. Blake thanked the case officer for their work and then asked if he could buy the boy a new tablet computer to replace the lost gift, according to St. George police.
The officer agreed to help and picked up the tablet from Blake on Tuesday. The case officer brought the present to the boy and "the child's first reaction was to thank the person who bought it for him," a post on the St. George Police Department's Facebook page reads. The boy also asked if it would be OK to personally thank Blake for his present on the phone.
"This was an uplifting experience for this particular officer," the department's post reads. "We feel it a privilege to give recognition and thanks to Mr. Josh Blake for his generosity and kind heart. We know Josh did not do this for any special treatment or publicity, but we want him to know how much this meant to that young boy and to us."
Charges related to the November burglary are pending, according to police.
