Woman rescued by cop as a child becomes Galveston police officer

GALVESTON, Texas -- A woman who was rescued by a police officer when she was a girl has followed in the footsteps of the man who saved her.

Klynn Scales is now an officer with the Galveston Police Department.

When Scales was nine, she lived in Kansas City with her mother, who battled a drug addiction.

At the time, Scales stole food from a 7-Eleven convenience store to feed her brothers.

Officer Jeffrey Colvin was patrolling the streets when he saw a young Scales waving to him as he worked.

"He was like my best friend. I remember him bringing us candy sometimes. You know kids. We love candy," Scales told KCTV with a laugh.

Scales says she also remembers how much of a positive influence Colvin was on her life at that time, making a pinky promise that he would always check on her.

That day came when Colvin heard Scales' address dispatched on the police radio for a children's division call.

"She was in pretty weak condition, pale," Colvin recalled.

Scales was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with a case of malnutrition.

She recovered and was convinced he saved her life.

In 2015, she contacted the Kansas City, MO Police Department and tracked down Colvin.

When they reunited, she had one more favor to ask.

"She was emphatic that when she graduated -- not if, but when she graduated, that I would be the one to pin her badge on her," Colvin said.

He drove down to Galveston in May for Scales' police academy graduation.

Colvin says he felt honored to pin her badge on her uniform.

"I was very proud of her. She really beat all statistical odds to get where she was," Colvin said. "Most people would look at her 9-year-old self and basically write her off and say this girl doesn't have a chance in the world. She's not going to amount to anything. She obviously proved everybody wrong there."

Scales had plaques made for all of the Kansas City officers who made an impact on her life.

Colvin's plaque reads, "A promise made, a promise kept, walking in the footsteps of a true hero!"

Scales recently met a paramedic in Texas who was rescued by another hero from a childhood of abuse and neglect.

They hope to work together to start a nonprofit to encourage children who are abused or neglected to overcome those challenges.

"I really believe that people are placed into your life for a reason," Scales said.