Kathy Penton’s birthday was Wednesday. When she learned of Arellano’s death, she said she only wanted prayers for another fallen officer.
DALLAS — It is painfully familiar and, in Kathy Penton’s mind, it’s also 100% preventable.
“I just don’t understand. If you’re going to drink, get a ride. it’s just not that hard,” Penton said.
Her son, Dallas police officer Mitchell Penton, was just 27 when he was killed on Feb. 13, 2021.
He was working the scene of a crash on North Central Expressway at Walnut Hill when a suspected drunk driver hit him.
Twenty months later, officer Jacob Arellano was on his way to his overnight shift when a wrong-way driver on Spur 408 plowed into him.
Police sources told WFAA the driver’s blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit.
“There’s nothing that’s going to make it easier. It’s a terrible day,” Kathy Penton said.
There are several similarities between the young fallen officers.
Arellano was 25 and father to a young son.
Penton was a stepfather with a baby on the way.
Arellano’s twin brother is also a DPD officer.
Penton’s brother works for the department, too.
Wednesday, the day Arellano was killed, was destined to be difficult for Kathy Penton.
It was her birthday, so she stopped by her son’s grave.
When she learned another officer had died at the hands of an alleged drunk driver, she wrote on Facebook that she appreciated birthday texts and calls, but no celebration was necessary.
Instead, she asked for just one thing.
“Just prayers,” she told WFAA. “Our faith definitely supported us through a lot of this.”
Those prayers are for a family she’s never met.
But, she knows them all too well.