Police praised for driving homeless man 250 kilometers home to reunite with family after month-long search
Phetchabun police drove a 53-year-old homeless man with mental illness 250 kilometers home to his family in Loei Province after finding him wandering along a roadside, reuniting him with relatives who had been searching for over a month.
Police from Khao Kho Station in Phetchabun have earned praise for using a patrol vehicle to transport a homeless man with mental health issues approximately 250 kilometers to his home in Na Dua District, Loei Province, reuniting him with his family who had been searching for him for over a month. The round trip totaled nearly 500 kilometers.
On May 24, Lieutenant Narint Srimorkan, deputy superintendent of Khao Kho Police Station, explained that while he and Sergeant Piyapong Sao Thang were conducting road patrols on the Sadet Phong-Khao Kho route, they found a man walking along the roadside. Upon questioning, the man appeared disoriented and incoherent. Officers checked his ID and identified him as Wimon Phan Kham, 53 years old, from Na Dok Kam Subdistrict, Chiang Yuen District, Loei Province.
After reporting to Superintendent Boonthung Mueangsaeng and conducting a family search, they found contact information for his relatives. However, the family indicated they were unable to retrieve him at that time. The superintendent authorized officers to transport the man home, citing concerns about a stranger's presence in the area and potential safety risks to the community and the man himself.
Lieutenants Wallachai Buajunthon and Sergeant Piyapong Sao Thang accompanied the man on the 250-kilometer journey to his home. They discovered that Wimon lived with his sister and suffered from mental illness, frequently wandering away. He had gone missing at the beginning of the month, and his relatives had been searching extensively without success.
Officers instructed the family to ensure Wimon takes prescribed medication and receives close supervision to prevent him from becoming lost again, which could endanger him.
