Officer helps with 12-12-12 birth on U.S. 40

PLAINFIELD, Ind. (WISH) - 12-12-12 is a day many don't want to forget and for some it's a day they won't ever forget.

A Plainfeild police officer was patrolling U.S. 40 when he encountered a first in his career — he helped deliver a baby.

Makenli Benton has made a big impact already and she's not even a day old. The 9 pounds, 9.5 ounces bundle of joy caused quite a stir in the early morning hours of 12-12-12.

"(Contractions) were about 45 seconds apart and he said, ‘Ma'am I'm sorry we're going to have to deliver this baby here,’" says mom Makala Benton.

Makala Benton said she thought she had enough time to make the 1 1/2 hour drive from Greencastle, but less than halfway into the drive she told her sister to pull over on U.S. 40 in Plainfield. That is when they both saw an officer patrolling the area.

"When I got flagged down by a black SUV, when I pulled next to them the driver who happened to be her sister who was frantic that her sister was giving birth in the vehicle," explains Plainfield Police officer Javier Casas.

For Casas, delivering a baby was not something he was prepared to do when he started his night shift on Tuesday, but he says when he walked up to Makala Benton he knew he didn't have a choice.

"Right when I made initial contact with the front seat passenger and noticed that her contractions were less than a minute apart — they were 45 seconds — I knew that it was pretty much time to get ready and deliver a baby," says Casas.

Casas said the hardest part was to calm Makala and her sister down as he called for help. Makala was already pushing by the time the paramedics arrived and once inside the ambulance Makenli made her debut.

"My water busted and I pushed like three times and they delivered her in the ambulance," says Makala.

Casas says the police academy does prepare officers for situations like this, but it's mostly watching videos. He said he felt more prepared by the birth of his own daughter. Makala is not a first-time mother. This is actually her fourth child and she said she thought she had plenty of time.