Police help boy reach goal

By Kelly Kingen
Summer Reporter

When the bell rang at 3:20 p.m., second-grader R. Sterling Sullivan came racing out of the school building with his bookbag bouncing off his shoulders and a paper sack in one hand.

A big smile instantaneously appeared on his face when he saw the red and blue lights flashing and the black Trans Am parked in front of the school.

Officer Dan Larson from the Purdue Police Department was sitting outside Klondike Elementary School last Wednesday just as he had promised.

"I get the honor of going and picking him up today after school," said Larson.

Three months ago Sullivan's mother, Robin Magturo, contacted both Officer Larson and Sgt. Ken Cox of the Purdue Police Department in the hope that they could help Sullivan who had been struggling with behavioral problems at school.

Magturo said that Sullivan was becoming very angry and frustrated. She did not want to see this kind of behavior propitiate any further.

On the surface, Sullivan appears to be a normal little boy. He is a spirited child who enjoys camping, science, Cub Scouts and is a sports-fanatic.

Narrie Magturo, Sullivan's step-father said, "He's extremely athletic."

However, unlike most children, Sullivan is prone to seizures and was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome last year. Tourette's is a rare disorder characterized by repetitive and uncontrollable muscle and vocal tics.

"He has had a hard time fitting in," said Magturo. The other children tease him, call him names, and throw his bookbag in the mud.

Magturo remembered watching Sullivan at the bus stop one morning and noticing that he was standing toward the front of the line. As the bus got closer the other children had grabbed Sullivan's bookbag and were shoving him toward the back of the line.

"It broke my heart," said Magturo.

Sullivan does not shy away from talking about his disorder with his classmates.

Magturo said, "He really desires to talk about kids who have differences." Usually, after Sullivan talks about his disorder, most of the students are more tolerant of his behavior because they understand why he acts the way he does.

Officer Larson and Sgt. Cox took a strong interest in helping Sullivan. Back in February, the three of them signed a contract that said if Sullivan behaved the rest of the year then he would be picked up on the last day of school in the Alcohol Student Awareness Program car.

Larson said, "The idea was if he maintained an acceptable behavior that we would reward him by picking him up on the last day of school in the ASAP car."

Thanks to a partnership between the Purdue Police Department and Mike Raisor Pontiac, the Alcohol Student Awareness Program was created last year. ASAP was created to educate high school and college students about the dangers of using alcohol.

"The use of the ASAP car for this young man is an exception to its normal use…in this case, the ASAP car was used as a reward for changing unacceptable behavior to positive behavior," said Larson.

Cox said that very few people have ever gotten to ride in the car and thought it would be something special to do for Sullivan.

Everyone involved in helping Sullivan has noticed a complete change in behavior.

"His attitude with other kids has changed. He will walk away," said Narrie.

Both Magturo and Narrie said that Sullivan has been challenged to meet his contract, but Larson and Cox were able to make a positive and lasting impact on Sullivan.

"They need to know that they are making a positive difference in the community," said Narrie.

Cox said that helping Sullivan successfully change his behavior was a unique and rewarding experience.

"Any time we can be a positive force in the community no money or paycheck could ever equal that type of reward. It's like winning the lottery, it's a great feeling," said Cox.