by Shelley Bennett
I promised to write this story for my friend Randy Cochran. I was reminded of it last Sunday when, exhausted from my fair duties, I watched trash TV all day and snacked. This story began on a similar Sunday in 2006. Let me give you a little background.
It was the last day of fair and our kids, Jacob (6), Landon (3), and Sofia (7 months) were hot, tired, and cranky. Leo and I rallied and made a real dinner (spaghetti, green salad, and garlic bread) and in an attempt to get the kids excited about bedtime, set up a spare mattress in the living room.
As they laid on the mattress, the cool air from the swamp cooler would hopefully reach them and we could all watch a movie and they would go to sleep. And that’s exactly what happened.
At one point in the night, I took Sofie and moved to our bedroom because that mattress was getting a little small for our family of five.
Great story so far, huh? But this is where it gets interesting. Or maybe terrifying for me.
I was awoken (is that a word? Awaken? Woke up?) out of a dead sleep the next morning at about 6:30 by a man’s voice. “Is this your son?” he boomed. I looked up to see a man’s silhouette in my bedroom doorway and immediately jumped out of bed.
The man in question was Susanville PD’s officer Ryan Cochran. And the son in question was indeed my son, Landon.
As I struggled to put the pieces together (keep in mind that I am blind as a bat without glasses or contacts), Ryan explained that Landon had been found in the parking lot of the convalescent home across the street.
When asked where his parents were, he probably looked at them with his big blue eyes, blinked his long, dark lashes, shrugged and said “no, me know”. So, they called 911 and that is how Ryan turned up in my house on this fateful Monday morning.
I was a mess of emotions: terrified that my child was wandering the streets of Susanville at 6:00 am, thankful that he had been returned safely, horrified that someone called the police on me, embarrassed by the dirty dishes in the sink, and paralyzed with fear about what would happen next.
I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my body.
Would CPS come to take my kids away? Would I get taken out of the house in handcuffs? Would I just drop dead on the spot?
I finally remembered that my husband had just left for work and Landon must have woke up and wondered where his dad was. When he didn’t see him outside, he decided to go look for him. I rushed to explain this to Officer Cochran, who agreed that is probably what happened.
He asked me a couple of questions and satisfied that I was a capable mother, said his good-byes. I thanked him profusely and he said, “it could happen to anyone.”
I spent that whole day watching my kids like a hawk, especially Landon.
Later I found out that Ryan had a daughter about the same age as Landon. Maybe he even thought about what if that had happened to him. Put himself in my shoes. Showed compassion to me because he understood.
I was forever grateful.
About 14 years after that, Landon was a senior in high school. It was 2020.
Landon and I were in a social-distanced meeting with the superintendent Morgan Nugent, mayor Mendy Schuster, Police chief Kevin Jones, and Captain Ryan Cochran discussing how we could give this class the graduation they deserved.
It was a very disheartening meeting. I think I cried two or three times. I was struck by how hard this group of people worked to find a solution. How they listened to Landon and considered his ideas.
After the meeting, I introduced Landon to Ryan and explained how they had met before. This time we shared some laughs and Ryan told him congratulations on his upcoming graduation.
In the years since then, I became friends with Ryan’s parents Randy and Leslie. I could see where Ryan got his compassion and kindness (from mom) and passion for his work (dad).
Ryan served as our police chief and joined our non-profit group NCCA. I learned that he was a loving father, a devoted son, a loyal friend, and a hard worker. He would show up at our events and do whatever we needed: set up tables, sell chorizos, we even got him to paint a Christmas scene on a window, even though he protested the whole time.
He was a stand-up guy. A man who is deeply missed by our community. Thank you Randy, for sharing your stories and your son with all of us. He definitely contributed to the “good stuff” in Susanville.
Remember when news was ‘newsy’? When you read about weddings, family events and engagement announcements in the newspaper? If you have something that might be newsworthy, please submit it to [email protected] and I’ll do my best to include it here in “The Good Stuff.”
