State troopers step in to babysit to help working mom in childcare pinch

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (KTVU) - A pair of North Carolina state troopers are getting a lot of attention for going above and beyond, when they came to the aid of a working mother who found herself in a childcare bind.

Last month, the shift supervisor of a Winston Salem Starbucks wrote a post on Facebook, telling of how an employee called her in tears ahead of a 4:30 a.m. shift because she had run into a childcare issue.

Since the employee, Shantaphae Blakes, was already on her way in, manager Harper Spell told the 26-year-old mother to come to work with her daughter Dilynn.

Spell wrote, "I told her not to worry, we would figure it out and to bring her in."

And they did figure it out, with the help of a couple of state troopers, Brad Marshall and Austin White, who happened be familiar faces at the coffee shop.

"Our regular crew of troopers rolled in the door and took this sweet girl right into their care for over an hour," Spell wrote.

"Trooper Brad and one of his fellow partners were outstanding in making sure we could still get our job done-and even had a little fun with it."

Spell's post has gone viral with hundreds of people reacting by praising the mother who was trying to do her best while juggling a job, the shift manager who was compassionate enough to hear her story and support her, and of course the big hearts of the highway patrol officers who offered their help and watched the baby with such care.

The baby's mom says she was moved by the actions of the troopers.

Blakes tells KTVU she feels very blessed by the support and says she's been overwhelmed by the attention the story has received.

"Never expected it to go this far. It's shocking me... I'm just trying to do what's best for Dil," the toddler's mother said.

Blakes says that she has since left Starbucks because the 4:30 a.m. shift was making it too difficult to find reliable childcare.

She has a new job in security working 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. which makes finding childcare easier.

But Blakes tells KTVU she plans to eventually go back to work with her Starbucks family, calling Spell a friend and saying she appreciates the good relationships she's made there.