By Erica Kearns
Clay County Sheriff’s Department swore in a new deputy this past Monday, but this officer isn’t quite the typical candidate. Levi Taylor, an 11 year old boy from Indore, is the most recent addition of law enforcement in the county. Ho
w? You might say. Levi was diagnosed with a condition called Hydrocephalus at the age of three months old. The pressure was so severe that he was nearly blind and deaf when doctors treated him. Since then, Levi’s undergone two brain surgeries and four eye surgeries. Levi’s biggest dream is to become a police officer, so much so that he wears a belt, equipped with handcuffs and a radio most every day, saying it is the closest he can come to being like his law enforcement heroes.
A joint effort of Levi’s family, the Clay County Sheriff’s Department and an organization called Hydro Angels Over America came together to make Levi’s wish of becoming a police officer a holiday miracle. After a surprise gathering at Gino’s in Clay, Levi was fitted with a custom deputy’s uniform and headed to the courthouse riding in the front
seat of a cruiser. Levi was officially sworn in as a reserve deputy and had the opportunity to meet up with his fellow deputies, serve process papers and even initiate a traffic stop for a speeding driver. Gino’s of Clay paid Levi a day’s wages for his work as a police officer.
Levi is a true miracle in himself and has touched the lives and hearts of many.Thankful for every moment of his dream come true, Levi said “I’d like to
thank them very much because this, it’s been my dream to be a police officer, and I’m really happy that they done this for me.”
