Papa Johns delivery man Mark Buede was delivering a pizza to a Kentucky hotel room last year when he noticed something that didn’t seem right. His quick thinking helped save two young girls from an abusive situation, and earned him a public service award on Tuesday, according to police.
Herald Leader reports that Buede was working his second job delivering pizzas when he arrived to a Lexington hotel to deliver an order last November. When a man opened the hotel door, Buede said he noticed a little girl that “didn’t have any clothes on” on the bed in the room.
“I didn’t know what was going on,” Buede said, according to the outlet. “I just knew it wasn’t right.”
In November 2018, Mr. Mark Buede was delivering pizza to a local motel when he saw something that didn’t seem right. He and his daughter took the initiative to call 911 when they saw a suspicious situation involving children, which led to an extensive child abuse investigation. pic.twitter.com/n77xB6YqXk
— Lexington Police (@lexkypolice) June 19, 2019
Buede promptly called 911. When officers arrived to the motel, they heard the screams of a child when they knocked on the door. After a man opened the motel door, authorities saw two naked girls hiding behind the bed. The strange behavior prompted authorities to start an investigation.
Within a few hours, the officers had gathered enough probable cause to determine the man in the hotel room had likely been abusing the girls, identified as his daughters.
According to NBC, 36-year-old Justin Elam was charged with numerous counts of rape and sexual abuse. One girl was under the age of 12 and the other girl was under the age of 16, according to WKYT.
The arrest citation also indicated that Elam is accused of having sex with the youngest girl and touching her inappropriately. Police said they later found videos of the suspect having sex with the older girl as well.
Investigators found several videos on Justin Elam's phone of him having sex with a victim under 16 years old.
Posted by WKYT on Saturday, November 17, 2018
Buede, along with the officers who investigated the case, Corey Sutton, Zakary Ridener, and William Phillips, were honored on Tuesday with a public service medal provided by the Lexington Police Department. The department said the men’s heroic efforts saved two young children.
Mr. Buede and the officers who responded (Officers Corey Sutton, Zakary Ridener and William Phillips) were honored for their efforts at the Police Awards Banquet last night. The department is incredibly grateful and proud of the people who work every day to keep Lexington safe! pic.twitter.com/kSIQd8iHbw
— Lexington Police (@lexkypolice) June 19, 2019
Meanwhile, the suspect remains behind bars. His next court date is scheduled for June 28.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
