D.C. Graham: West Virginia State Trooper Who Bathed Baby Found Covered In Vomit And Feces After DUI Stop Opens Up About The Viral Photo Of His Act Of Kindness

D.C. Graham saw the 1-year-old boy in the backseat of a car during a DUI stop, covered in feces and vomit, and knew exactly what he needed to do.

The West Virginia state trooper is a parent himself and felt a strong tinge of fatherly instinct kick in when he came across the boy. What resulted was a viral photo and an act of kindness that has gotten media coverage across the nation.

Graham said the boy was in rough shape when troopers pulled over his guardian in Princeton for allegedly driving drunk, KTLA reported. The infant was covered in vomit and miserable and would need to wait with officers for a long time until child protective services could arrive to take care of him.

So Graham filled up the sink at police headquarters with some warm water and gave the boy a late-night bath, with a photo of his act of kindness going viral.

“As a father myself, I couldn’t let it sit in its own urine and feces and vomit,” Graham said (via WVLT). “So I went ahead and drew a bath in the sink of the detachment and was able to clean him up a little bit and get him feeling a little bit better.”

The bath seemed to do the trick for the baby, who reportedly had been very sick beforehand. In the photo, the boy flashed a big smile as D.C. Graham watched over him in the warm, soapy water.

After months of news stories dominated by controversial police behavior and shootings with questionable circumstances, many readers embraced the story of police work at its best. It garnered attention from news outlets nationwide and thousands of shares across social media, even becoming one of the top trending stories on Facebook on Friday.

This is also not the only police-related act of kindness to go viral. In the wake of a July attack on Dallas police officers that left five dead, many residents turned out to show their appreciation for the police force. In the days after the attack, the Dallas Police Department headquarters was filled with flowers, candles, balloons, and supportive messages and cards, CNN reported.

“Two squad cars, one from the Dallas Police Department and the other from the Dallas Area Rapid Transit authority, were set up as a memorial for the fallen officers. The cars were nearly covered in bouquets and signs.

“Local businesses sent meals and food to feed the officers who had worked throughout the night. Residents even gathered outside the police headquarters to sing together for peace.”

A video also showed residents lining up to shake hands and hug police officers, with some telling officers that the entire community shared in the mourning.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” one woman told an officer (via CNN). “It’s a loss for all of us.”

Other police departments from across the country joined in on the remembrance, with many placing signs in support of the officers killed. There were other tributes across Dallas, including many municipal buildings turning on blue lights in support of the police force.

We can go dim, or we can shine. I choose the light. -The Ball #OneDallas #OneNation pic.twitter.com/zbgY7aR1ms

— Reunion Tower (@ReunionTower) July 9, 2016

The Governor's Mansion is lit blue to honor the police officers killed in Dallas. #BackTheBlue #txlege pic.twitter.com/kwA0RJHxiQ

— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) July 9, 2016

That was also the case following a separate ambush on police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after days of protests following a police officer shooting and killing a suspect. Many residents, including some who had been involved in protests against the police force, turned out to greet police officers, exchanging handshakes and hugs while expressing appreciation for their sacrifices.

The story of D.C. Graham’s viral act of kindness has at least a bit of a happy ending. The baby who got a late-night bath in the West Virginia state police kitchen sink is now doing well and in the custody of a legal guardian. The driver is facing charges of DUI with a minor present.

[Image via West Virginia State Police]