Woman Mumbles 'Help Me' at Gas Station. Clerk's Next Move Saved Kidnapping Victim's Life
Heroes come in all shapes and sizes, but what you might not expect is one at your local gas station. Thankfully, that’s exactly where one was found as a woman feared for her life one night.
A Missouri gas station clerk was just doing her job at the counter when a 42-year-old woman entered the shop.
She asked which brand of cigarettes were on sale and then mumbled something under her breath.
“Help me,” she said. “He is trying to kill me.” The clerk had been watching the woman along with the male that accompanied her. Things seemed suspicious.
“He was very close to her. You could not even get a hand between them,” said the clerk. “I noticed it and watched them through the whole thing.” It was lucky for the woman that this clerk was so observant.
The woman had been kidnapped by 39-year-old Russell DeShields. A restraining order had been issued against DeShields by the woman before this incident.
The clerk had to think fast. She demanded that the woman follow her to a back office. Then she listened as the woman told her story.
Apparently, the man had threatened to drive the car off a bridge if she didn’t cooperate with him.
DeShields had taken the woman’s car keys and smashed her cellphone before forcing her into the car.
They had been driving when the woman was able to talk her captor into stopping at the gas station.
“I did not know what he was going to do, but knew we had to get her to safety,” said the clerk. “You could tell it was true because she had black marks on her hand and her arm,” she said.
As the clerk returned to the counter, she discovered that DeShields had gone. Later, police found him at his house hiding under his bed.
He is currently in custody and being held on $100,000 bail — cash only.
It’s not always easy to take action, especially when faced with potentially violent situations. This clerk could have done nothing.
She could have ignored the woman’s pleas for help, but she didn’t.
This amazing clerk might not feel like a hero, but her actions most likely saved a woman’s life. The woman is heralding her a hero and will be forever thankful.
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