As it turned out, it was the same car Dion and Brandon had instinctively blocked in. Sign up for our free daily email.
Stay inspired 6 days a week with Smile by InspireMore,
the #1 good news email read by 700K+ people.
Thanks for signing up for Smile! Please check your inbox for your confirmation email.
Dion was documenting the unfolding events on Facebook Live when the police showed up and placed the driver under arrest. His name is Michael Sereal, and he’s an acquaintance of the family member Jalisa was staying with. He’s now being held in jail without bond.
The New Iberia City Council, on behalf of the New Iberia community, honored the two men who saved the life of a kidnapped 10-year-old girl.
During the council s meeting on Wednesday night, Dion Merrick and Brandon Antoine were given Life-Saving Valor Awards.
Of course, the two men gained national attention on February 8 when they helped save the life of a young girl who was kidnapped. While on their route as sanitation workers, they spotted a car in a field that matched an Amber Alert and parked their garbage truck to block it in until police arrived. It was just a blessing to make sure she was home and home safe, Merrick said after receiving his award.
New Iberia Council Honors Men Who Saved Kidnapped 10-Year-Old 999ktdy.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from 999ktdy.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Victor Omondi
The family of a 10-year-old girl who’d been kidnapped has every reason to smile after two Louisiana sanitation workers saved their daughter. The girl had been abducted from a family member’s residence in New Iberia.
According to the New Iberia Police Department, Jalisa Lasalle went missing on Sunday between 1 and 2p.m. Based on the circumstances surrounding the girl’s disappearance, investigators were initially worried that the child was in “imminent danger,” leading to the issuance of an Amber Alert in the middle of the night, giving details of a gray 2012 Nissan Altima in which Jalisa was last seen getting into.
Sanitation worker Dion Merrick, Jalisa Lasalle (top inset) and registered sex offender Michael Sereal (bottom inset). | Police/Local23
An emotional Louisiana sanitation worker praised God profusely Monday for helping him save a 10-year-old girl from a registered sex offender who police allege abducted her a day earlier.
“I was on my trash route . I just seen this gray car parked in the field. There was a dude who had this little 10-year-old girl. I just saved that little girl’s life bruh. Thank God bruh. They got him now. They saved that little girl thanks to two Pelican drivers,” said Pelican Waste & Debris worker Dion Merrick during a Facebook Live broadcast Monday from the scene of the rescue in St. Martin Parish.