A strange note at a gas station in Arizona helped a local sheriff’s department stop a kidnapping plot.
According to a statement posted to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page on Tuesday, a woman at a Chevron gas station in Seligman, Arizona, passed a strange note to another customer.
The note gave the customer the woman’s name, a detailed description of the blue van she was riding in, and told the customer to call 911 saying that she had been kidnapped.
The customer called 911, gave details about the woman, the man she was with, and the van, and told police where they were headed. Immediately, YCSO deputies sprang into action and soon found the vehicle.
The woman and the 41-year-old man were detained without incident.
It turns out that the man, Jacob Wilhoit, had allegedly kidnapped the woman from a car dealership in Phoenix the day before after pretending to be an Uber driver. He restrained the woman and took her to Las Vegas before spending the night at Lake Mead.
The police booked Wilhoit and slapped him with charges of harassment, threatening and intimidating, aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, and other assault charges. Multiple firearms were also found in Wilhoit’s car.
The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office praised the customer and the victim for their quick thinking and action that ultimately saved the day, as well as the YCSO deputies and the Department of Public Safety.
“The victim’s extraordinary action in passing the note, the customer’s willingness to assist, and the quick actions of YCSO and DPS saved the victim from her kidnapper and allowed her to return home with her family,” the Facebook statement read.
Honestly, the woman and the customer really do deserve the praise that they are getting. How many of us, in a similar situation, would act as quickly and as clearly as they did?
This was clearly a very scary situation for both of them, and the fact that they were able to think on their feet at that moment shows just how strong they are.
But this story also demonstrates, once again, the valuable contributions that our law enforcement officers make to our communities, in spite of the constant vilification from the left.
The police’s immediate response upon receiving the tip ensured that the kidnapper was caught.
In this age when the brave men and women of law enforcement are attacked as “racists” by the media and the left, it is important to remember that they are the ones who stop thugs like this from running amok free and harming even more people.
At this point, it has been demonstrated time and again that when the police are weakened in the name of leftist ideology, crime skyrockets, and communities descend into chaos.
But when empowered to enforce the law and with the backing of the authorities and the public, law enforcement does immeasurable good for the people that they serve and protect.
This incident in Arizona is the perfect example of that. The police handled this situation very well — the suspect was arrested without incident and the woman safely went home to her family.
This story really is an example of law enforcement at its finest.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
