When Jeff King heard that his old friend’s 8-year-old daughterhad been grabbed on the streetwhile walking with her mother Saturday night, he jumped in a car to help find her.
Along with a friend, King scanned the streets of Fort Worth, Texas, searching for young Salem Sabatka or the vehicle police said the girl had been whisked in to, Fort Worth police spokesman Buddy Calzada tells PEOPLE.
Ultimately, King and his fellow passenger spotted the vehicle parked outside of a WoodSpring Suites — and after the pair notified police, Salem was recovered safely and her alleged captor, 51-year-old Michael Webb, was arrested.
The recovery of the girl ended a harrowing episode that began when she was abducted around 6:40 p.m. on Saturday. Police entered the hotel room where she allegedly was being held about 2:20 a.m. Sunday, according toWFAA, after King brought the suspect vehicle to the attention of law enforcement.
“He was a key factor into solving this case, literally,” says Calzada, who previously described the two citizens as “heroes.”
Fort Worth Police
The second person with King has not authorized the release of his name.
“We got out here and tried to make a difference,” King said Monday onGood Morning America, reportsCNN. “I went ahead and started looking at parks and then just kind of [was] told this one motel, and we went there. And on the way back from that motel, this one was right next to us on the access road, so we just pulled in and yeah, that’s how it happened. It’s kind of crazy.”
King, a member of Bear Creek Bible Church in suburban Keller, learned about the abduction on a text from a friend, who shared the news that the daughter of their fellow high school classmate had been grabbed off the street, says Calzada.
Although King had not been in contact with Salem’s father for several years, King joined in the search, says Calzada.
Through social media and local media, Forth Worth police had quickly spread word about the abduction and “requested that the citizens of Fort Worth help us out,” he says.
“Mr. King was one of the residents who basically heard our request and got into action,” says Calzada. “He actually checked several different locations with a fellow church member of his, and he’d been searching all night and was almost about to call it quits. As they were headed home, they saw a WoodSprings Suites across the road, and decided to check that, since they felt like they’d checked every other place in Fort Worth.”
“When they did, they saw a vehicle that matched the description of the photos we sent out, and they called police.”
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“Once he pointed out the vehicle, we felt that it was a solid lead and we investigated it further,” he says. “We went to the room of the registered owner of that vehicle and, through exigent circumstances, we were able to breach the door and locate Salem and Mr. Webb inside the room.”
Webb was arrested on a first-degree felony charge of aggravated kidnapping. He is currently being held in Tarrant County jail with a $100,000 bond, according to online inmate records.
It was not immediately clear if he has entered a plea, and an attorney who might speak on his behalf was not immediately named.
source: people.com
