Editor's note: Notebook is an occasional series on slices of life found by The Bee's police reporters.
From Stan Oklobdzija:
This 9-year old boy dreams of playing pro football someday.
That's what he told Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Jeff Massagli as he stood watch over him and his family while other officers tore apart his South Sacramento home late last month looking for drugs.
While most kids his age were at school, he and his 13-year-old sister were caught in the middle of a raid. Someone at the house sold crack-cocaine to an undercover officer that afternoon and officers were inside the house looking for the rest of the stash.
There was no electricity in the house and even though the air stunk heavily of natural gas, several ashtrays were overflowing with cigarette butts. Checking inside the fridge, all one found was the acrid stench of rotten food.
"Is this a good place to stay?" Massagli asked.
The boy shook his head.
Massagli started into a pep talk with the boy, telling him that if he wants to play professional football, he's got to play in high school and college first. That means staying in school, he said.
But later Massagli doubted how much effect his words might have.
"It's such a minor influence," he said. "The greater influence is his mom and grandmother."
Both were arrested that day for felony child endangerment.
A Sacramento County Child Protective Services worker later took him and his sister away. Massagli said it'd be their best chance at a normal life.
"The best is to take him out of this mess and giving him a shot at what he wants to do," Massagli said.
A 10-year veteran of the department, Massagli said he's seen hundreds of kids like this boy in his career.
"This isn't uncommon," he said.
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