'I just did what Officer Trenga told me to do': Lost boy follows cop's advice

Jun. 6—The transition from relaxing family beach vacation to parents' worst nightmare was remarkably sudden as panic set in with the sinking realization of fears realized.

It was a picture-perfect Mother's Day at Madeira Beach, just west of St. Petersburg, Florida, and Meadville residents Darren and Beth Steele, their 7-year-old son Liam, and other family members were enjoying the beginning of a week-long vacation. Other families with similar plans meant that thousands of people were spread across the beach around them.

After playing in the water, Liam told his father that he needed a break, so the two swam to the shore. Darren pointed out the family's tent nearby on the sand, where Beth and Liam's uncle were. Liam saw the tent and started heading there as Darren turned back to other family members still in the water.

"Sometime between me turning my back Liam wandered past our tent out of sight of my wife and was gone," Darren wrote in a letter describing the incident to Meadville Mayor Jaime Kinder and Chief Michael Tautin of Meadville Police Department.

Darren and Beth's motivation in writing to city officials about a moment no parent wishes to experience was gratitude. After an excruciating time — in reality less than an hour, but still the longest 45 minutes of their lives — Liam was back in their arms due in large part, they wrote, to the efforts of School Safety Officer Vince Trenga as well as the quick response of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office.

"We've always appreciated Officer Trenga's willingness and the Meadville police's willingness to have Officer Trenga out in our community teaching these valuable lessons," the Steeles wrote. "Ironically Officer Trenga had visited our son's school the week before we left. How little did we know it would play a greater role in our recent family vacation than we could have ever imagined."

As the frantic parents searched around them on the beach and called the sheriff's office, the fear grew overwhelming. Within minutes, officers had joined them on the beach, a police helicopter was in the air and a Coast Guard boat began patrolling offshore.

"We had an army helping us to find Liam," the Steeles recalled. "You are grateful to witness all this help, but you're also losing your mind and heart over where your little boy could be. Was he lost? Had he been taken? Had he drowned?"

Unable to locate the family's tent, Liam had, in fact, begun wandering north — nearly 2 miles north in about 30 minutes. Realizing he was lost, Liam had also begun implementing the lessons he had heard from Trenga during the officer's repeated trips to West End Elementary — one of six schools in the safety officer's beat, which has him visiting 63 classrooms each month of the school year.

Trenga's lessons include everything from how to act on and around a school bus, bike safety, and appropriate pedestrian behavior for Halloween to more serious topics like gun safety, bullying, and what to do in the event of a violent intruder at school.

The lessons are adjusted as necessary for different ages, and during his four years in the position, Trenga has added fifth- and sixth-grade classes to the beat due largely to requests from the students his observation that the students are more prepared to put the lessons into practice.

First graders, however, absorb the lessons as well — at least in Liam's case.

Making his way north, Liam saw plenty of friendly faces, but none of them familiar. He quickly began searching for someone in uniform, though with no lifeguards on the beach it was some time before he found one. Meanwhile, his parents were implementing Trenga's lessons as well — they had taken a photo of Liam earlier that morning and were able to provide an image of Liam in the distinctive beach outfit he was wearing to the searching authorities.

When Liam eventually spotted one of the searching officers, he made a beeline for him and identified himself. A few minutes later, a tearful reunion of son and parents took place amid a small crowd of beach-goers who had gathered to help in the search efforts.

"It was a wave of emotion that could not be equaled by the waves on the shore," the Steeles wrote.

Back in his parents' arms, Liam said, "I just did what Officer Trenga told me to do. I wouldn't talk to strangers or anyone. I went looking for the police, for someone in uniform or a police officer."

When he finally spotted one, Liam added, "I knew I was OK because that's who Officer Trenga told me to find."

The Steeles sent their email commending Trenga's impact on May 24 — the same day an 18-year-old gunman killed 21 people, 19 of them students, and wounded another 17 people at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The tragedy shone a light on persistent questions about police presence in schools. Should there be more officers in more schools? Would that be practical? effective? affordable? How can such incidents be prevented or minimized?

For Trenga, whose own children are in the classrooms he visits, the goal is to give students options in the event something like that were ever to happen here.

"It's a sad topic," Trenga said, "sad, but necessary."

The existing cooperation between Crawford Central School District and Meadville Police Department includes both Trenga as school safety officer for the elementary schools and a school resource officer stationed at the Meadville Area Middle School-Meadville Area Senior High complex. The arrangement is effective, according to Tautin.

"I think we're in a good situation," he said. "It makes me feel better that we have an officer at the high school and middle school at all times."

As a former school safety officer himself, Tautin knows first-hand the impact people in that role can have.

"I'm proud he's having that kind of effect on kids," Tautin said of Trenga, "and happy the program is working the way it's supposed to."

Trenga is aware of the impact a positive police role model can have as well. It's rare that much time passes without someone reminding him of one of his predecessors — School Safety Officer John "Johnnie" Foster, whom Tautin referred to as "a legend." Decades after Foster was in Meadville schools, people not only recall his name, Trenga said, they quote things he said 40 years ago.

"He set the bar for me," Trenga said. "There's something to be said about this position and the lasting impression that we leave on children."

It's that opportunity that makes him passionate about the job, Trenga said, and that keeps him committed to interacting in a way that's both fun and authentic. "You can't really fake it with these kids," he said.

It also made it a little overwhelming to read the Steeles' letter about their experience in Florida.

"I had a hard time reading it without getting choked up," Trenga said. "My first reaction was how proud I was of Liam and how brave he was."

Darren and Beth Steele were proud of Liam as well but their fears of what could have been made them that much more thankful for Trenga's presence.

"My wife Beth and I firmly believe, Darren wrote, "that Officer Trenga's outstanding commitment and dedication to our areas children is what saved his life that day. Had he not done as instructed by Officer Trenga, we fear he could've been in a very bad way or been taken by a stranger. Liam's determination was Officer Trenga's determination."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.