Cop helps elderly man who drove to his house by mistake

WASHINGTON — A Prince George’s County police officer has explained why an elderly man he doesn’t know ended up at his house in Charles County, looking for help.

Sgt. Xavian Watson says he got home — in Charles County — last Thursday to find a pickup truck in his yard, and a man standing nearby.

When Watson asked what went on, the man said, “I was trying to get to Maryland.”

“I was like, ‘sir, you are in Maryland’,” Watson tells WTOP.

As it turns out, 79-year-old Julius Johnson has dementia, and had been reported missing earlier that day.

Watson invited the man into his house and made him feel comfortable. He gave him some water and contacted relatives listed in his cellphone.

“That’s how I would want somebody to treat my family, or even myself if I get to that point in life,” Watson says. “Just do the same thing.”

Michelle Basch

Michelle Basch is a reporter turned morning anchor at WTOP News.

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