Pritchett, 28, said he caught
Vincent Gonzales, 15, of Chicago, sneaking into the facility three days in a
row and gave him verbal warnings on each occasion, even going so far as to
explain the liability issue of having a minor in the gym without written
permission from a parent or guardian.
"I felt for the kid. He really did just want to play
basketball, but it was a policy enforcement issue more than anything,"
Pritchett told ABC News. "I said, 'If you sneak in again, I'll have to
call the cops.'"
Pritchett said he finally made the call to police on August 17
to come "spook him" from trespassing again. Skokie Police Officer
Mario Valenti was the one to respond.
"Officer Valenti approached the boy with a stern and authoritative
demeanor and said, 'Hey kid, you know you can't be in here, man, grab your
stuff,'" Pritchett said, adding that the teen "looked so startled,
with a face like 'I've been caught.'"
Once they arrived at the front desk, Valenti asked Gonzales why
he kept sneaking onto the court. The teen admitted that he just wanted to play
basketball, but could not afford a membership, Pritchett said.
Valenti pulled out his personal debit card, looked at Pritchett
and said, "What will 150 bucks get him?"
Valenti said that Gonzales "seemed like he was a gentle
type of kid."
"I was just really stunned honestly and kind of astonished
by the gesture that he made," Pritchett said. "He could've just
walked him out, driven him home or given him a basketball, but to see Valenti just say, 'What can I do?' -- it was
amazing."
Gonzales told ABC7Chicago .comaid that he had texted Valenti to
express his appreciation.
Pritchett received the go-ahead from the X-Sport's human
resources office to give Gonzales a two-year, all-inclusive membership, and the
gym agreed to cover the remaining $718 balance for it.
"We told him he just needed to have his mother come in and
sign the liability waiver before he could use the membership," Pritchett
said, adding that she came in a couple days later and met with him personally.
Skokie Police Public Information Officer Eric Swaback told ABC
News that Valenti was "very overwhelmed" by the positive reaction he
has received for his gesture.
"The reaction to this whole case and outpour of public
sentiment has been great and really appreciated," Swaback said.
"Positive stories and these kinds of things happen daily, but they just
don't always get reported. We don't look for notoriety. We’re just doing our
jobs."
The Skokie Police Department and X-Sports said they are in the
process of planning a program that would partially sponsor memberships for
others in the community who do good deeds or public service.
No comments:
Post a Comment