Special from the Bossier Sheriff’s Office:
Birthday parties are taking on new meanings during the Stay-at-Home orders and social distancing with COVID-19, but Bossier Sheriff’s Office deputies were not going to let that stop them from making one little boy’s birthday special.
Dep. Jessie Bearden of the Bossier Sheriff’s Office enjoyed his day off Saturday morning by patrolling the streets of a Benton neighborhood with his lights and sirens as he led a team of others to wish happy 6th birthday to Hudson, son of Casey and Mandie Rhymes. Two other deputies, Alex Ware and Tommy Burton, joined Jessie and some of Hudson’s family, friends, teachers and neighbors to do a ‘drive-by’ surprise birthday party.
The friendship of this little boy and Dep. Bearden goes back to Christmas day in 2017 when Mandie took Hudson to Circle K to pick up some batteries for Christmas presents. The three-year-old Hudson wants to be a policeman when he grows up, so when he saw Dep. Bearden and his partner at the store enjoying a cup of coffee, he “found his heroes inside,” said Mandie. The deputies took a picture with Hudson, and they’ve been friends ever since…and enjoyed birthday celebrations as well.
While the Coronavirus pandemic has changed the way little children celebrate birthdays, it didn’t disrupt the friendship between a deputy and this little boy. Dep. Bearden brought Hudson a special basket filled with police gear, candy, and other goodies, as well as a signed birthday card from him and other deputies at the Bossier Sheriff’s Office.
Casey says young Hudson asked if he could be the “Guardian of the Neighborhood.” His dad says, “He’s pretty serious about it,” and he dons his police gear and patrols the neighborhood with his dad in a golf cart to keep people safe. “Some days, he asks that we call Mr. Jessie for backup,” said Mandie.
On her Facebook post after the drive-by birthday party, Mandie wrote, “Hudson has already put his special presents on his nightstand and these will be things he keeps forever. We are so blessed to live in this community.”
Happy Birthday, Hudson!
Photos by Lt. Bill Davis, Bossier Sheriff’s Office:
