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A vigilant gas station employee thwarted a suspected kidnapping, alerting authorities when a teenage girl discreetly signaled her need for assistance, even as her armed captor stood nearby.
Donald Fields faces multiple charges, including first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping, as well as possession of a firearm by an individual prohibited from owning one, felonious assault, and felony firearm use. The Hamtramck Police Department confirmed these charges in their statement. Additionally, Fields is accused of being a habitual offender, having committed a third offense.
Presently, Fields is detained in Wayne County Jail, held without bail, according to the prosecutor’s office, as reported by Oxygen. He has entered a plea of not guilty.
The incident took place on April 13, when a 16-year-old girl, waiting for her school bus, was allegedly approached by Fields. Brandishing a gun, he reportedly coerced her into his van. This information comes from a statement released by the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office.
Inside the van at a gas station, Fields is accused of sexually assaulting the teenager. Fortunately, a classmate who witnessed the event promptly contacted 911, while other students used their phones to track her location. This timely communication provided critical details to law enforcement, aiding in the investigation.
When Fields arrived at a gas station, he asked the girl to buy cigarettes, according to prosecutors, which is when the clerk stepped in.
Abdulrahman Abohatem, who identified himself as the clerk, told WXYZ-Detroit, “She mouthed—talked to me with no sound—’help.’”
Hamtramck Police Chief Hussein Farhat added in an April 16 press conference, “The clerk reading the victim’s eyes, he knew something was wrong. He sensed it and he was able to watch her lips. Obviously, she didn’t say, ‘Help me’ in front of him.”
The clerk stepped out from behind the counter, placing himself between the suspect and the victim, Farhat said in the press conference, and ordered the man to leave.
Police arrested Fields outside the store, confiscating his handgun and impounding the van.
Fields will next appear in court on April 30. Attorney Matthew Forrest did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Oxygen. “While we recognize the seriousness of the charges here,” Forrest said, according to WXYZ, “Mr. Fields at this point is presumed to be innocent.”
“Our young survivor in this case was simply walking in broad daylight when she was viciously attacked and sexually assaulted,” Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in the press release. “Despite what she had just gone through, her quick thinking and mental toughness saved her life. We cannot reverse what happened to her, but we can work hard to bring justice to her.”