Lynn Haven officers offer support to local teen who ran away from home

Missing twice in 24 hours, Kaleb Cassel, 15, has a habit for running.

Lynn Haven police officer Corey Midyette wants to make a habit of helping.

“I was just a regular cop responding to a call," Officer Corey Midyette said.

The two met under Bailey Bridge a couple weeks ago after Officer Midyette brought Kaleb safely home after running away.

"We were able to have a real good heart to heart on the way there. Because most people can’t say my last name correctly, I just said, hey man call me Corey," Officer Midyette said.

In that ride home, Officer Midyette learned Kaleb was actually a runner.

“I asked him, hey what kind of things are you into? He said he played soccer and ran track. And I said, are you any good, and he said I’m okay," Officer Midyette said. "And I later found out he was really good.”

Last week he paid Kaleb a visit with a gift: brand new running shoes.

Then the police department took their interest a step further by setting Kaleb up with a job interview.

​“And after about 15-20 minutes later, he came out and goes Mr. Ricky I got the job," Lynn Haven Police Chief Ricky Ramie said.

Chief Ramie said the support online has been overwhelming.

​“That just blesses my heart as the chief of police knowing that we live in a great community like this that are willing the help mentor him along and get him on the right path," Chief Ramie said.

The support doesn't stop there. On Monday, Kaleb received another gift from an anonymous donor. The bag was filled with running gear.

“I didn’t really have good shoes for the year. Now I have good shoes and I can run faster," Kaleb said.

What started out as a cause of concern transformed into a positive mentorship. And a positive message.

“Regardless if it was a white American or an African American, when we see children in need, or anybody in our community in need, we all need to reach out and extend a hand," Chief Ramie said.