Adoption celebration: Vacaville officer reunites with 3 children he found living in 'horrific' conditions
Vacaville Police Officer Issac Stevens celebrating the adoption of three boys he first met almost three years ago during a child welfare call. (Vacaville Police Dept. )
VACAVILLE, Calif, - It was a celebration and reunion for Vacaville Police Officer Issac Stevens last week, as he attended a special court proceeding for three children he met about three years ago.
The children, all smiles from ear to ear, posed with Stevens in a courtroom where adoption papers were signed, marking a new beginning for the kids.
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Stevens’ first encounter with the children, then aged 8, 4, and 2, was during a call for a welfare check of a minor at an apartment in South Vacaville.
Police said upon arrival, the officer was met with a shocking, "horrific scene," as he came upon the children in a grossly unsanitary apartment, with no adult supervision around.
"The mother’s lack of concern for her child was alarming," police wrote on Facebook on Tuesday, noting that the children were lying on soiled mattresses and that there were visible bruises, scratches and rashes on their bodies, stemming from squalid conditions.
"There was garbage and rotten food everywhere. The kitchen and bathroom were unusable. The overwhelming odor of feces spread across the walls and the mattresses were crawling with rodents and insects," police said.
Stevens promptly got Solano County Child Welfare Services involved, and the children were placed with foster parents.
It was a turning point in the children's young lives, as police said the three have since been living in "a safe and loving home."
Three boys pose in a courtroom where their official adoption papers were signed with their new family on Friday, March 22, 2024. (Vacaville Police Dept. )
The culmination of their journey since meeting Stevens was marked on Friday, and the police officer was on hand for it.
"Officer Stevens was invited to attend the court hearing where official adoption papers were signed for all three children to remain with their parents forever," the Vacaville Police Department shared, adding, "We wish this beautiful family the best."
Vacaville Police Officer Issac Stevens was on hand for a court proceedinng during which adoption papers were signed for three boys on Friday, Marcg 22, 2024. (Vacaville Police Dept. )