A Year Later, Officer 'Part Of Family' Of Baby He Helped Deliver
ELK GROVE (CBS13) – They're tasked with protecting and serving the community. But for an Elk Grove police officer, the call to duty created an extended family he could have never imagined.
A year ago, Officer Dan Templeton helped an Elk Grove mother deliver her baby boy in a parking lot off Elk Grove Boulevard.
The entire thing was caught on the officer's dash cam.
Sunday afternoon, Officer Templeton answered the family's call again – this time to celebrate their son's first birthday.
RELATED: Elk Grove Family Thankful Officer Helped Deliver Baby On Side Of Road
Officer Templeton isn't just the man of the hour, he's the Elk Grove police officer responsible for the safe arrival of one year old Jesiah Rios into the world.
"We pulled up in the Les Schwab parking lot and he grabbed Vanessa and got her out of the car, and four minutes later, had the baby," said Jesse Rios, Jesiah's father.
A moment so surreal, the couple didn't realize their 8 pound, 14 ounce bundle of joy had turned blue during the delivery.
Jesse says Templeton was so cool under pressure, he was able to get Jesiah breathing again.
"I love that we have a relationship with him, even after a … year has passed," Jesse said. "He's just part of the family. His family is our family now."
But their bond runs even deeper. Jesiah's middle name is "Daniel."
And it seemed only fitting to have Officer Templeton on hand to celebrate his first year of life.
"I think him being born out in the fresh open air did him good because he hasn't been sick. He's a happy, healthy baby," said Vanessa Rios, Jesiah's mother.
Another unexpected thing to come from Jesiah's birth was discounted tires. Since Jesiah was born in the Les Schwab parking lot, the company has helped the Rios family with a deal on tires for their car.
