PHOENIX — A Phoenix police officer was honored Sunday for his quick thinking and dedication after he saved a 4-month-old baby's life.
Officer Noel Trevino was named "Officer of the Year" by members of the Grace Walk Community Church off of Lower Buckeye Road in Phoenix.
Lead Pastor Joseph Calloway says every year the Maryvale/Estrella Mountain precinct of the Phoenix Police Department submits several names to them for consideration.
While all the submissions were worthy, Calloway said Officer Trevino's actions really touched a chord with everyone in their submission committee. "We all were instantly like, this is the one," said Calloway.
The call for help came on April 18, 2018. Trevino says he was just wrapping up a call outside Walmart, when he heard the distress signal of a baby who was blue, and not breathing. The officer instantly sprung into action. He knew he just minutes away from the home near 55th Drive and Indian School Road.
"When I got there, it was awkward. Even though it was daylight it was extremely dark inside the home," said Trevino.
Inside the home, Trevino said he found a woman trying to perform CPR on the baby.
"The adrenaline just takes you in and you start getting tunnel vision. I was just focused on that baby," said Trevino.
Incident reports state the officer performed CPR on the baby for several minutes.
"He did not give up. He just did not give up on that little baby. At any point he could have just said the baby is gone, but he just kept at it, kept at it until the medics arrived," said Calloway.
Officer Trevino said he finally stopped CPR when he heard the baby gasp for air. Medics then scooped up the child and rushed her away in an ambulance.
"It was an amazing feeling. I felt like I had done something right. It was working, and I had a lot of hope at that point," said Trevino, but he added the emotional impact of all that had just transpired did not hit him until much later. "Yeah, it was very hard to see. Afterwards, I felt the impact."
He later learned the ugly truth of what the child endured in her short life. Phoenix police arrested the baby's mother 20-year old Jassidy Arias and charged her with child abuse.
Police reports stated the child was on a mattress streaked with urine and feces stains. Doctors at Phoenix Children's initially did not think the baby would survive. Throughout treatment in the intensive care unit the baby suffered intermittent seizures and two strokes. Doctors determined the cause was malnutrition.
Police reports stated Arias' three other children were also found covered in scabies, lice, and experienced fevers and tooth decay. Reports state that Arias told investigators she had only fed the baby twice a day, and noticed her health declining about one month before the CPR incident. She says she did not reach out for help because she was afraid she would get in trouble.
Officer Trevino said he was honored to be named "Officer of the Year" but he also felt he had just done his job on that day.
"No, I don't feel like a hero. Any one of the officers that I work with, they would have all done the same thing," he added.
Staff at Grace Walk Community Church say they started honoring law enforcement officers in their community about five years ago, after Phoenix police approached them to talk about building bridges within the community.
The church holds a separate event to officer sheriff's deputies for their service as well.
