Kidnapping is far too common in today’s age. Luckily, two girls managed to escape being taken by a man who followed them from a restaurant and into a church. One of the members was a mother whose maternal instincts red-flagged the situation, so she stepped in to help. After calling 911, the deputies rushed to the scene, and arrested the man not too far from the church grounds.
A Good Samaritan
Two girls, aged 12 years old, were having a good time at a restaurant known as Cherry’s bar and Grill in Fishhawk’s park square. The elementary students noticed a man who followed them from the restaurant. They rode their bikes together, and still, the man followed. Reportedly, he had told them he wanted to see them get home as if they were in danger. Finally, as they reached a church, they decided to go in to get some help, the man not far behind. In short, the man’s name has been found to be David Daniels. His attempted kidnapping failed, thanks to a good Samaritan who knew something was wrong.
One of the members of the church was a mother, who wishes to remain anonymous. She saw the girls with the man, and her maternal instincts kicked and had to do something to help. After the incident, Fox 13 interviewed the woman. She said: “I saw two children on their bicycles and a male adult behind them.”
The unnamed woman told the Hillsborough County Deputies that she saw the man put one of the girls in a headlock, while hitting the other over the head. “One of the little girls was mouthing to me, ‘Please help me, this is not my dad.’ He was kind of talking over her, right behind her, putting his arm around her neck and saying something in her ear, saying, ‘We just moved here, we just want to see how we can help do whatever you’re doing.”
A Failed Kidnapping
The woman invited the man into the church, in an attempt to delay him. She engaged in conversation with him, hoping it would give her time to call the police. After the man told her they had just moved here, the woman said: “I engaged in conversation with him,” the woman said. “I said, ‘Oh that’s nice, where did you move here from?’ He said, ‘Oh, I am not really sure.’”
If one of the children had not managed to mouth the words, “help me,” the church may not have known they needed to help. Luckily, they were saved. The woman who stepped in to help is a mother. As opposed to claiming the fame as the hero, she simply wishes to know someone would have done the same for her own children. “I don’t want to be a hero,” she said. And, in other words: “I just did what I hope anybody would do for my own kids.”
Arrested for attempted Kidnapping
The police arrived at the scene shortly after they received the call. But, they did not take long to catch Daniels. He was arrested not too far from the church while walking back to the downtown area.
“Thankfully these children stuck together and rode their bikes to a nearby church. And, asked an adult for help,” said Jessica Lang, who works for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
So, she continued to say: “Members of this church really stepped up to protect children that were not theirs. They saw that something was wrong and they saved these children.”
Subsequently, 37-year-old David Daniels was arrested and charged with false imprisonment and child abuse. He is being held at the Hillsborough County jail on a bond of $104,000.
Most importantly, the girls are safe and unharmed.
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