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Officer goes above, beyond call of duty to help family
By JORDAN COHEN
NORTH JACKSON
Cynthia Eddinger, 42, and her daughter, Ambrosia, 20, do not mince words about the life they used to lead — and where it was leading them.
“I had an alcohol-abuse problem, and Amber [Ambrosia’s preferred name] had her own substance-abuse issues,” Eddinger said. Her daughter described herself as rebellious and “did things I shouldn’t have done.”
The two admit their lives were in a downward spiral and could have gotten even worse, but for the actions of Mahoning County deputy Greg Taillon, resource officer for the Jackson-Milton School District where Amber attended. As a resource officer, Taillon said his role is to establish relationships with the students.
Cynthia and Amber said their relationship with Taillon included coming to their rescue on more than one occasion.
Taillon said he first helped the Eddingers when they became the victims of domestic violence by Cynthia’s then-husband seven years ago.
“We got them a protection order, and I confiscated all the guns, swords and knives that were in their home,” Taillon said. The daughter, who was 13 at the time, had gone to Taillon for help.
It was not to be the last time.
“They went through some difficult years after that, and there was a rocky relationship between the two,” Taillon said. “There were some tremendous emotional difficulties.”
Those issues came to a head in the summer of 2009 when Amber ran away and wound up living for two months with a companion in an abandoned house on Youngstown’s East Side. She said the house had no running water. There was little food available, and she lost considerable weight.
“I called the school and asked [Taillon] to call me because he was the only person I could reach out to and not worry about being judged,” Amber said.
The deputy said he brought Amber home, and the young woman and her mother reconciled immediately. The reunion has led to positive results for both.
Cynthia, who had begun a sobriety program before her daughter’s disappearance, has continued it with Amber’s help.
“I will be three years sober this Labor Day — my sobriety date,” she said.
Amber has graduated from Jackson-Milton and won several awards including “Outstanding Student of the Year” from the Graphic Arts Council in Cleveland. She hopes to earn enough money to attend art school.
For his work, Taillon recently was named a “Hero of the Mahoning Valley” by the Red Cross. He had been nominated by Cynthia, who said she wanted to be candid about their story so the deputy’s work could be fully appreciated.
“He saved me from an awful life, and I might not have [my daughter] if he hadn’t gotten involved,” she said. “He never gave up on her.”
Both hope their experience can help others.
For Taillon, the Eddingers’ new life is a confirmation of his work. “If I can make a difference in one kid’s life, I can be successful,” the deputy said.
Amber, who is completing a management-training program for the Wendy’s store chain, said that when she graduated from Jackson-Milton, she gave Taillon a gift: a clock with an inscription describing his role in her life.
“Thank you for always believing in me,” the inscription reads.