An Albuquerque police officer who helped an entire family whose lives may have otherwise been ruined by the opioid epidemic plaguing the nation recently shared an amazing update.
READ: Former Fox News Host Eric Bolling Shares Heartbreaking Story of Losing Son to Opioids
Officer Ryan Holets and his partner came across Crystal Champ and her partner, Tom Key, while they were shooting up heroin on the streets of New Mexico in September. As Faithwire reported back in December, footage captured by Holets’s body cam shows the exchange between the officers and the homeless couple. When Holets noticed that Champ was very pregnant, he urged her to stop the harmful behavior immediately.
“You’re going to kill your baby,” he warned.
Instead of arresting the couple, Holets fed them and helped them to enroll in rehab programs in Florida. The father of four also offered to adopt Champ’s daughter, whom he and his wife named Hope.
Holets’s efforts to go above and beyond the call of duty earned him national recognition and a special honor by President Donald Trump during his first State of the Union address.
Last week, Holets shared on Facebook that Hope’s birth parents have been sober for more than 90 days.
…And some long overdue updates. Tom has graduated from the program last weekened. He is temporarily staying on…
Posted by Ryan Holets on Saturday, March 10, 2018
Looking back on photos taken just six months ago, Holets wrote that he is “so amazed at the challenges they have overcome to get where they are.”
Looking at the latest photos of Tom and Crystal brings me back. So amazed at the challenges they have overcome to get where they are. Thankyou to everyone who has helped! We could never have done this alone.
Posted by Ryan Holets on Saturday, March 10, 2018
In addition to helping them on the path to recovery, Holets has also raised more than $23,000 of a $25,000 goal to pay for the couple’s housing. To learn more, visit the GoFundMe page.