Austin police officer runs in support of local animal rescue

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Sergeant Ben Mewis with the Austin Police Department is getting ready to run from Goliad to Gonzales and back to the Capitol in support of Central Texas Pig Rescue.

This is now his third running adventure he's taken on as a way to connect with the community.

"It's just my hobby, but it's helping out organizations too," he said. "So I love the fact that I can do something I enjoy doing and have an adventure with it, and at the same time help out an organization that needs the assistance too."

He got connected with the organization a few years ago when he responded to a 911 call for a report of a screaming child, but when he got there, he found a pig named Carlton.

"But when we got there, it was Carlton, who was much smaller at the time, he was a little piglet," he said.

Now, Carlton is pivotal to Mewis' next running endeavor, which he'll embark on next week. Mewis said Carlton will be waiting for him at the finish line.