Become a Sponsor of Safety Footprint Bookmarks for Children
The goal of NOT-ME! is to produce and distribute 500,000 Safety Footprint bookmarks to parents and children across the country.
In order to accomplish this task, we need your help. Each sponsor of 5,000 bookmarks will have a custom bookmark produced with the sponsor name and website clearly stated on the front.
For a pennies per bookmark, NOT-ME! will custom design, produce, and deliver the customized 5,000 bookmarks to public libraries, law enforcement agencies, schools, non-profit organizations, and businesses to give to parents and children in the sponsor's local area.
This program has been created to both raise safety consciousness in parents and children and simultaneously allow businesses to show their support of promoting of child safety in their community.
In order to accomplish this task, we need your help. Each sponsor of 5,000 bookmarks will have a custom bookmark produced with the sponsor name and website clearly stated on the front.
For a pennies per bookmark, NOT-ME! will custom design, produce, and deliver the customized 5,000 bookmarks to public libraries, law enforcement agencies, schools, non-profit organizations, and businesses to give to parents and children in the sponsor's local area.
This program has been created to both raise safety consciousness in parents and children and simultaneously allow businesses to show their support of promoting of child safety in their community.
Please email info@not-me.org, for more details on becoming a sponsor.
Safety Footprint Bookmarks for Children
The number one concern of all parents is the safety of their children. Despite this fact, most parents are uncomfortable about talking to their children about safety. Therefore, safety discussions revolve around simplistic tips such as "Don't talk to strangers" and "Look both ways before crossing the street".The Safety Footprint is designed to make safety discussions fun and engaging to children while at the same time introducing them to the importance of being a safety conscious person. Having a large Safety Footprint corresponds to being safety conscious, while having a little Safety Footprint corresponds to being minimally safety conscious.
The animals footprints are used to provide children with a concrete measure of "safety consciousness". The Bird with it's tiny footprint is the least safety conscious. The Bird is also the most vulnerable of the five animals depicted. The Elephant on the other hand has the biggest and deepest footprint. It corresponds to being highly safety conscious. The Elephant with it's intelligence and huge size is the most impervious to attack of all the animals depicted.
The goal is to encourage young children to want to be safety conscious just as we encourage children to want succeed at sports, academics, and social situations.
Safety conscious elementary school children become safety conscious teenagers who become safety conscious adults and members of the community. As the person matures the concepts of safety follow an age appropriate linear progression.
The Safety Footprint bookmarks are a tools for encouraging and teaching pre-school and elementary school children the importance of being safety conscious.
Taylor Thomas
WINTHROP, Mass. -- A 12-year-old Winthrop girl saved her mother's life after using some skills she learned in babysitting class.
Noah Strickland
http://www.ajc.com/news/henry/henry-county-boy-saves-777190.html
The story may have turned out differently if it wasn’t for 10-year-old Noah Strickland, one of 10 people who live in the house, Puckett said. Strickland got up to get a drink of water around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Puckett said. He entered the kitchen to find the cabinets on fire, she said.
Strickland woke up the nine people and two dogs in the house, his family told Puckett. The boy’s grandfather grabbed a fire extinguisher to put out the flames in the kitchen, she said.
“Noah ultimately saved the lives of nine family members by alerting everyone in the home when he saw smoke and flames,” Puckett said.
The family told Henry County firefighters that the house is equipped with smoke alarms -- and that they went off -- but no one heard them.
“Noah Strickland acted with true bravery,” Puckett said
Larry Skopnik
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101108/bc_wheelchair_takedown_101108/20101108?hub=BritishColumbiaHome
By: Jon Woodward, ctvbc.ca
Date: Monday Nov. 8, 2010 6:34 PM PT
A man in a wheelchair is being hailed as a hero after he wrestled a would-be thief to the ground for threatening a Vancouver convenience store clerk.
Larry Skopnik says he was just doing the right thing when he saw the man charge behind the counter of the Food Stop on Commercial Drive.
"Just because I'm in a chair doesn't mean I can't stand up and do what's right," Skopnik told CTV News.
Skopnik has been in a wheelchair since an ATV accident 10 years ago in Chetwynd. He was shopping in the Food Stop on Saturday night when a man tried to pass off a suspicious $50 bill.
The clerk, Cindy Grewal, said the man became enraged when she wouldn't take the money.
"He started using filthy language," said Grewal. "He comes behind the counter and came at me and everything."
Surveillance video shows the man grabbing at some of the counter items and coming at the clerk before she pushes him back.
Skopnik rolled towards the counter and put the would-be thief in a headlock. The pair wrestled for a few seconds, and then Skopnik held the man by the torso until both of them fell to the ground.
"I'm pretty sure I can defend myself," said Skopnik. "Her not getting hurt was the important thing."
Other store patrons held the man until the police arrived several minutes later.
"I didn't know exactly what was going down, but I knew it wasn't right," said one of the patrons, Nick Dubeau.
Police officers arrived after a few minutes and arrested the man.
"Larry's a hero, honest to God," said Grewal. "I think (the thief) learned the lesson the hard way," said Grewal. "He won't come back. He saw the stars. It's a lesson that no good citizens will tolerate that."
Last year a shopkeeper in Toronto was charged with assault and forcible confinement for catching a thief and holding him until police arrived. The charges were later dropped.
Vancouver police say they are not looking at pressing any charges in this case
By: Jon Woodward, ctvbc.ca
Date: Monday Nov. 8, 2010 6:34 PM PT
A man in a wheelchair is being hailed as a hero after he wrestled a would-be thief to the ground for threatening a Vancouver convenience store clerk.
Larry Skopnik says he was just doing the right thing when he saw the man charge behind the counter of the Food Stop on Commercial Drive.
"Just because I'm in a chair doesn't mean I can't stand up and do what's right," Skopnik told CTV News.
Skopnik has been in a wheelchair since an ATV accident 10 years ago in Chetwynd. He was shopping in the Food Stop on Saturday night when a man tried to pass off a suspicious $50 bill.
The clerk, Cindy Grewal, said the man became enraged when she wouldn't take the money.
"He started using filthy language," said Grewal. "He comes behind the counter and came at me and everything."
Surveillance video shows the man grabbing at some of the counter items and coming at the clerk before she pushes him back.
Skopnik rolled towards the counter and put the would-be thief in a headlock. The pair wrestled for a few seconds, and then Skopnik held the man by the torso until both of them fell to the ground.
"I'm pretty sure I can defend myself," said Skopnik. "Her not getting hurt was the important thing."
Other store patrons held the man until the police arrived several minutes later.
"I didn't know exactly what was going down, but I knew it wasn't right," said one of the patrons, Nick Dubeau.
Police officers arrived after a few minutes and arrested the man.
"Larry's a hero, honest to God," said Grewal. "I think (the thief) learned the lesson the hard way," said Grewal. "He won't come back. He saw the stars. It's a lesson that no good citizens will tolerate that."
Last year a shopkeeper in Toronto was charged with assault and forcible confinement for catching a thief and holding him until police arrived. The charges were later dropped.
Vancouver police say they are not looking at pressing any charges in this case
Martina Maturana
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/04/chilean-girl-saves-her-is_n_485835.html
When the 8.8 earthquake hit Chile over the weekend, 12-year-old Martina Maturana knew exactly what to do. Living in low-lying areas on Chile's Robinson Crusoe island, Martina's community was especially in danger of tsunami following the earthquake. Martina quickly ran to ring the warning bell, alerting her neighbors that a wave was approaching, so they could run to safety. Because of her quick thinking, Martina was able to save her neighbors' lives.
Nathan Kuhns
http://www.wtae.com/news/23573993/detail.html
MYRTLE BEACH, SC. -- Police in Myrtle Beach, S.C., credit the quick actions of a caring brother for saving a young girl from an attempted abduction.Police are looking for the man who tried to abduct a 4-year-old girl vacationing from Pittsburgh.
The girl’s mother, Erin Kuhns, of Whitehall, told Channel 4 Action News that on Friday, she was walking near the beach with her three children when her daughter, Josie, ran off.Kuhns said she then told her son, Nathan, to run after the child. When the 8-year-old boy caught up with his sister, Nathan said he saw a man trying to drag the girl into his car."I screamed because of the fact someone was trying to pull her in the car and I went down there and beat the crap out of this guy," Nathan said of the rescue.According to Erin Kuhns, the boy was able to wrestle his sister away from the would-be abductor.“[Nathan] said, 'Mommy, I just kicked and I punched and I hit, and I just kept doing it,'” Kuhns told Channel 4 Action News’ Shannon Perrine Sunday. “[The man] kept grabbing her, and he kept pulling her and kept trying to put her back in the car.”Nathan Kuhns was able to provide DNA evidence to police, because he scratched the man so severely.Neither child was injured in the attempted abduction.
Jerone Loren
http://www.albanyherald.com/home/headlines/80761722.html
At 1:12 a.m. Monday, officers responded to the 1900 block of Skylane Drive in reference to an armed robbery. Deidra McMillian, 30, went to her car to retrieve a box of clothes. As she was returning to enter her home, she was approached by a male armed with a handgun. When he demanded money, she gave him an undetermined amount from her purse, a news release from the Albany Police Department said.
Jerone Loren, 36, who is disabled and wheelchair bound, heard the commotion and went outside to tell the suspect there was more money inside.
"When I heard the door open, she was screaming," he recalled Tuesday. "I acted like I had what he wanted."
After the armed robber was given more money, he and Loren went into the bathroom as McMillian stayed on the line with police. At one point during the altercation, the couple said the suspect pointed a gun at McMillian's child.
As the suspect turned to close the bathroom door, Loren grabbed the gun and held him at gunpoint until officers arrived.
Loren and McMillian feel they may have been victimized as a result of a third party coaxing the suspect.
"He felt like we had money in here," Loren said. "He is a young kid; he didn't know what he was doing. Someone sent him in here. Someone coaxed him.
"There could be more people behind this crime. I feel like it might be an ongoing problem."
At some point, crime victims need to stand up for themselves, Loren said.
"He thought I was helpless," Loren said.
Loren was visiting McMillian at the time of the incident. Both are concerned about the crime rate in the area, and that the patrol traffic needs to be heavier.
"They need to make an example of people breaking into houses," McMillian said. "I'm scared to stay here by myself. (The suspect) could have killed me."
If he could do it again, Loren said he wouldn't hesitate to handle the situation the same way he did Monday.
"I don't want to die, but I have no fear of dying," he said.
At 1:12 a.m. Monday, officers responded to the 1900 block of Skylane Drive in reference to an armed robbery. Deidra McMillian, 30, went to her car to retrieve a box of clothes. As she was returning to enter her home, she was approached by a male armed with a handgun. When he demanded money, she gave him an undetermined amount from her purse, a news release from the Albany Police Department said.
Jerone Loren, 36, who is disabled and wheelchair bound, heard the commotion and went outside to tell the suspect there was more money inside.
"When I heard the door open, she was screaming," he recalled Tuesday. "I acted like I had what he wanted."
After the armed robber was given more money, he and Loren went into the bathroom as McMillian stayed on the line with police. At one point during the altercation, the couple said the suspect pointed a gun at McMillian's child.
As the suspect turned to close the bathroom door, Loren grabbed the gun and held him at gunpoint until officers arrived.
Loren and McMillian feel they may have been victimized as a result of a third party coaxing the suspect.
"He felt like we had money in here," Loren said. "He is a young kid; he didn't know what he was doing. Someone sent him in here. Someone coaxed him.
"There could be more people behind this crime. I feel like it might be an ongoing problem."
At some point, crime victims need to stand up for themselves, Loren said.
"He thought I was helpless," Loren said.
Loren was visiting McMillian at the time of the incident. Both are concerned about the crime rate in the area, and that the patrol traffic needs to be heavier.
"They need to make an example of people breaking into houses," McMillian said. "I'm scared to stay here by myself. (The suspect) could have killed me."
If he could do it again, Loren said he wouldn't hesitate to handle the situation the same way he did Monday.
"I don't want to die, but I have no fear of dying," he said.
Jesse Hladik
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36969903/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
updated 9:42 p.m. ET, Wed., May 5, 2010
BANGOR, Maine - Five female students, including one who'd recently completed a self-defense class, jumped to the aid of a fellow student, grabbing her knife-wielding attacker and holding him until police officers arrived at Husson University, officials said Wednesday.
Jesse Hladik put her new skills to work when she lunged for the hand holding a knife, while fellow students grabbed the man's other limbs and wrestled him to the ground. Hladik, 21, of Buckfield, said she knew the pressure points to make him drop the knife, thanks to the class.
"It was really scary, but I'm glad we got involved," said student Heather Mann, 18, of Rochester, N.H. "Because I really think he would have killed her."
updated 9:42 p.m. ET, Wed., May 5, 2010
BANGOR, Maine - Five female students, including one who'd recently completed a self-defense class, jumped to the aid of a fellow student, grabbing her knife-wielding attacker and holding him until police officers arrived at Husson University, officials said Wednesday.
Jesse Hladik put her new skills to work when she lunged for the hand holding a knife, while fellow students grabbed the man's other limbs and wrestled him to the ground. Hladik, 21, of Buckfield, said she knew the pressure points to make him drop the knife, thanks to the class.
"It was really scary, but I'm glad we got involved," said student Heather Mann, 18, of Rochester, N.H. "Because I really think he would have killed her."
Kim Komenich
SAN JOSE, CA (KGO) -- A San Jose State professor says he was able to stop a bank robber, with a hug.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=7386338
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Kim Komenich says he was getting ready to leave the Wells Fargo along Market Street in San Jose on Monday, when he noticed a customer standing next to him hand a teller a note. Komenich looked over his shoulder and saw it said something about a gun.
"So I decided in this case, it looked like something I could handle, and rather than let it escalate, I decided to step in and do something," he said. "So I just grabbed him and gave him a big bear hug."
He was able to hold the would-be robber until police arrived. No gun was ever found.
Komenich used to work as a news photographer before becoming a journalism professor. He says that experience -- where he often covered bank robberies for the San Francisco Examiner -- helped keep him calm.
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/south_bay&id=7386338
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Kim Komenich says he was getting ready to leave the Wells Fargo along Market Street in San Jose on Monday, when he noticed a customer standing next to him hand a teller a note. Komenich looked over his shoulder and saw it said something about a gun.
"So I decided in this case, it looked like something I could handle, and rather than let it escalate, I decided to step in and do something," he said. "So I just grabbed him and gave him a big bear hug."
He was able to hold the would-be robber until police arrived. No gun was ever found.
Komenich used to work as a news photographer before becoming a journalism professor. He says that experience -- where he often covered bank robberies for the San Francisco Examiner -- helped keep him calm.
David Benke
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35557049/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/
updated 12:57 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 24, 2010
LITTLETON, Colo. - The gunman was walking through a middle school parking lot and taking shots at students with a hunting rifle as terrified teenagers ran for their lives. He had just wounded two students and seemed ready to unleash more violence when a math teacher named David Benke sprung into action.
Benke confronted the 32-year-old gunman, tackled him and pinned him to the ground with the help of another teacher, stopping what could have been a much more violent encounter in a city all too familiar with tragic school shootings. The shooting on Tuesday afternoon occurred less than three miles from where the Columbine High School massacre happened nearly 11 years ago.
"Unfortunately he got another round off before I could grab him," Benke said. "He figured out that he wasn't going to be able to get another round chambered before I got to him so he dropped the gun and then we were kind of struggling around trying to get him subdued."
Benke, a 6-foot-5 former college basketball player who oversees the school's track team, was monitoring the parking lot in the afternoon when he heard what he thought was a firecracker and began walking toward the noise.
"At first when I was walking over there, it was kind of what a teacher does," Benke said, still shaken hours after the shooting. "'Hey kid, what are you doing,' you know that kind of thing."
He said another teacher was quickly on the scene and both of them pinned the gunman to the ground. Eastwood was armed with a bolt-action rifle.
"I basically have my arms and legs wrapped around him, (the other teacher) has his forearm around his front and we were basically trying to get the guy to quit struggling."
"I talked to him while we were on the ground," Benke added. "I was underneath him and his face was pretty close to mine. I asked him, 'Why did you do this? Were you a student here?'
"He either didn't respond or his responses didn't make a whole lot of sense," Benke said.
updated 12:57 p.m. ET, Wed., Feb. 24, 2010
LITTLETON, Colo. - The gunman was walking through a middle school parking lot and taking shots at students with a hunting rifle as terrified teenagers ran for their lives. He had just wounded two students and seemed ready to unleash more violence when a math teacher named David Benke sprung into action.
Benke confronted the 32-year-old gunman, tackled him and pinned him to the ground with the help of another teacher, stopping what could have been a much more violent encounter in a city all too familiar with tragic school shootings. The shooting on Tuesday afternoon occurred less than three miles from where the Columbine High School massacre happened nearly 11 years ago.
"Unfortunately he got another round off before I could grab him," Benke said. "He figured out that he wasn't going to be able to get another round chambered before I got to him so he dropped the gun and then we were kind of struggling around trying to get him subdued."
Benke, a 6-foot-5 former college basketball player who oversees the school's track team, was monitoring the parking lot in the afternoon when he heard what he thought was a firecracker and began walking toward the noise.
"At first when I was walking over there, it was kind of what a teacher does," Benke said, still shaken hours after the shooting. "'Hey kid, what are you doing,' you know that kind of thing."
He said another teacher was quickly on the scene and both of them pinned the gunman to the ground. Eastwood was armed with a bolt-action rifle.
"I basically have my arms and legs wrapped around him, (the other teacher) has his forearm around his front and we were basically trying to get the guy to quit struggling."
"I talked to him while we were on the ground," Benke added. "I was underneath him and his face was pretty close to mine. I asked him, 'Why did you do this? Were you a student here?'
"He either didn't respond or his responses didn't make a whole lot of sense," Benke said.
51 Yr Old Mom Takes Down Passenger
Watch the news video:
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/02/09/souderman.mom.hero.kusi?hpt=T2
Full article here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10035...#ixzz0f4bcV7lv
Disruptive jet passenger ate marijuana cookies beforehand
Thursday, February 04, 2010
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Kinman Chan, a 30-year-old artist from San Francisco with a prescription for medical marijuana, picked the wrong flight to freak out on.
He was arrested on Sunday when his US Airways plane from Philadelphia to San Francisco had to be diverted to Pittsburgh after he became disruptive and attempted to hit one of the flight attendants.
Unfortunately for him, the woman he tried to strike, Lorin Gorman, 51, of Chula Vista, Calif., is a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do.
She dodged him, locked his arm behind his back and then jumped in the seat behind him and put him in a choke hold.
"She took him down all right," said Ms. Gorman's mother, Betty Gorman. "He was dealing with the wrong flight attendant."
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Mr. Chan was acting strangely from the beginning of the flight.
At first, he was waving, smiling and making odd gestures to Ms. Gorman. Then, the complaint went on, shortly after takeoff, he went to the restroom on the plane and began to scream.
When another crew member knocked on the door, Mr. Chan came out with his shirt untucked and his pants down. All of the restroom compartments were open. The crew member attempted to get him back to his seat, but Mr. Chan refused.
He then put his hands together as if he were praying, at which point the crew member removed Mr. Chan and escorted him to his seat, the complaint said.
Mr. Chan became aggressive and attempted to hit Ms. Gorman.
That's when her years of training paid off, Betty Gorman said.
Her daughter manhandled Mr. Chan to restrain him, pinning his arm behind his back and eventually using a choke hold, the complaint said.
"If you think that's impressive, you should see her break four or five boards spinning [and] blindfolded," Betty Gorman said.
Mr. Chan, who was traveling back from a conference in the Dominican Republic, was put into handcuffs, and the flight landed in Pittsburgh. He is charged with interfering with flight crew members.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2010/02/09/souderman.mom.hero.kusi?hpt=T2
Full article here:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10035...#ixzz0f4bcV7lv
Disruptive jet passenger ate marijuana cookies beforehand
Thursday, February 04, 2010
By Paula Reed Ward, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Kinman Chan, a 30-year-old artist from San Francisco with a prescription for medical marijuana, picked the wrong flight to freak out on.
He was arrested on Sunday when his US Airways plane from Philadelphia to San Francisco had to be diverted to Pittsburgh after he became disruptive and attempted to hit one of the flight attendants.
Unfortunately for him, the woman he tried to strike, Lorin Gorman, 51, of Chula Vista, Calif., is a fourth-degree black belt in tae kwon do.
She dodged him, locked his arm behind his back and then jumped in the seat behind him and put him in a choke hold.
"She took him down all right," said Ms. Gorman's mother, Betty Gorman. "He was dealing with the wrong flight attendant."
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court, Mr. Chan was acting strangely from the beginning of the flight.
At first, he was waving, smiling and making odd gestures to Ms. Gorman. Then, the complaint went on, shortly after takeoff, he went to the restroom on the plane and began to scream.
When another crew member knocked on the door, Mr. Chan came out with his shirt untucked and his pants down. All of the restroom compartments were open. The crew member attempted to get him back to his seat, but Mr. Chan refused.
He then put his hands together as if he were praying, at which point the crew member removed Mr. Chan and escorted him to his seat, the complaint said.
Mr. Chan became aggressive and attempted to hit Ms. Gorman.
That's when her years of training paid off, Betty Gorman said.
Her daughter manhandled Mr. Chan to restrain him, pinning his arm behind his back and eventually using a choke hold, the complaint said.
"If you think that's impressive, you should see her break four or five boards spinning [and] blindfolded," Betty Gorman said.
Mr. Chan, who was traveling back from a conference in the Dominican Republic, was put into handcuffs, and the flight landed in Pittsburgh. He is charged with interfering with flight crew members.
Margarita Vargas
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/08/richmond-gang-rape-911-ca_n_350209.html
Richmond Gang Rape 911 Caller Speaks: Margarita Vargas Heard About Attack, Reported It
15-year-old girl who was raped, robbed and beaten by multiple attackers outside of her high school homecoming dance was found by police after 18-year-old Margarita Vargas, undaunted by pressure to keep quiet, called 911.
Vargas called police after her brother-in-law told her about an attack at Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif. CBS:
"I was watching a movie, and my brother-in-law came in and he told me 'I don't know what to do, because there is a girl back there and she has been raped. I'm scared,'" 18-year-old Margarita Vargas said.
"I'm like 'We should call the cops because that's the right thing to do.' I didn't think about it twice."
Relaying what she knew, Vargas called police without even witnessing the crime. She arrived after police and saw the victim being taken away. Vargas told CNN that she was proud of herself. Referring to a culture of silence, Vargas told CNN that there's a common saying around Richmond "snitches get stitches."
Police believe up to 10 people participated in the Oct. 24 assault and that as many as a dozen people watched, laughed and took pictures while it happened. Seven suspects have been arrested, though 1 has been released. According to a report by KTVU News, at least 4 of the suspects are teenagers and face life in prison. One suspect is 21.
The victim released a statement last Tuesday, urging supporters to look past their anger and work for change to keep people safe.
According to police, the 15-year-old who was attacked, left her high school dance Oct. 24 and was expected to meet her father. He was looking for her while the attack took place.
Richmond Gang Rape 911 Caller Speaks: Margarita Vargas Heard About Attack, Reported It
15-year-old girl who was raped, robbed and beaten by multiple attackers outside of her high school homecoming dance was found by police after 18-year-old Margarita Vargas, undaunted by pressure to keep quiet, called 911.
Vargas called police after her brother-in-law told her about an attack at Richmond High School in Richmond, Calif. CBS:
"I was watching a movie, and my brother-in-law came in and he told me 'I don't know what to do, because there is a girl back there and she has been raped. I'm scared,'" 18-year-old Margarita Vargas said.
"I'm like 'We should call the cops because that's the right thing to do.' I didn't think about it twice."
Relaying what she knew, Vargas called police without even witnessing the crime. She arrived after police and saw the victim being taken away. Vargas told CNN that she was proud of herself. Referring to a culture of silence, Vargas told CNN that there's a common saying around Richmond "snitches get stitches."
Police believe up to 10 people participated in the Oct. 24 assault and that as many as a dozen people watched, laughed and took pictures while it happened. Seven suspects have been arrested, though 1 has been released. According to a report by KTVU News, at least 4 of the suspects are teenagers and face life in prison. One suspect is 21.
The victim released a statement last Tuesday, urging supporters to look past their anger and work for change to keep people safe.
According to police, the 15-year-old who was attacked, left her high school dance Oct. 24 and was expected to meet her father. He was looking for her while the attack took place.
Cameron Aulner
http://www.kdvr.com/news/kdvr-wheelchair-wal-mart-arrest-092909,0,4371546.story
Disabled man stops suspected child molester at Westminster Wal-Mart
John Romero KDVR Denver
9:44 PM MDT, September 29, 2009
WESTMINSTER, Colo. - It was anything but an ordinary Saturday at the Wal-Mart at 92nd and Sheridan.
Westminster Police confirm that on September 19th, a man "touched" a 10-year-old girl while she pushed her 2-year-old cousin in the toy department. According to the arrest affidavit, witnesses said the suspect then ran away after the little girl screamed.
She told officers a man came toward her, she turned her back to the shelves, and he reached around and then "squeezed her butt." She began to scream and ran away, looking for another adult.
The affidavit says one witness, Chris Bevin, saw the suspect, 34-year-old Kevin Salyers, run from the toy department. Bevin told investigating officers that he began to run after Salyers, and shouted "stop that man!" But no one was able to stop him.
That's when a man working at the Comcast table at the front of the store went into action. Even more amazing, the Comcast employee, 22-year-old Cameron Aulner was in a wheel chair. Aulner pulled in front of the suspect, and grabbed his t-shirt. Aulner says he wound up out of his wheel chair, and on top of the suspect who was on the ground.
The arrest affidavit says Aulner and others prevented Salyers from leaving until police arrived.
"It was something that happened so fast, I didn't even think about it," Aulner said Tuesday. "I'm not a hero. I just did what you're supposed to do."
Aulner lost the use of his legs when he fell off a roof installing Christmas Lights. He said he played a little football before he got hurt and knew how to tackle.
"He just had this look of astonishment, he didn't know what hit him," Aulner said. Witnesses say Aulner helped hold Salyers down until police arrived.
Westminster Police charged Salyers with Sexual Assault on a Child. They are considering giving Aulner an official commendation.
Comcast is also praising his efforts.
"As a parent, I'm thrilled that the child was ok and the person was apprehended," Marketing and Sales director Matthew Moyer said. "I applaud Cameron for getting involved and happy that the child wasn't injured."
Aulner said this was simply a matter of doing the right thing.
"When someone has an opportunity to help someone else, it doesn't matter who you are, you have a responsibility to do that," Aulner said.
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