Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Hero city worker risks life, saves 10-year-old girl from sex predator

Episode Date: February 16, 2021

Two Louisiana hero workers helped save a young girl from a registered sex offender. Sanitation worker Dion Merrick called police after he noticed a car matching the description and license plate of a vehicle listed in the AMBER Alert. The silver sedan was parked in a secluded field , but still visible from the road where he was working,. When police arrived, they found the 10-year-old girl inside the vehicle with a 33-year-old sex offender. Nancy Grace speaks with Dion Merrick. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. Hi guys, Nancy Grace here, CrimeOnline.com and Crime Stories at Fox Nation and SiriusXM 111. You know, it's very rare that we have a truly happy ending. But today, because of a good Samaritan, a hero who intervened, a little 10-year-old girl kidnapped by a registered sex offender has been saved. Listen. Bro, I was on my trash, Rob. I just seen this gray car parked in the field. There was a dude who had a little 10-year-old girl. I just saved that little girl's life, bro.

I just saved that little girl's life, bro. Thank God, bro. They got him now. With me, that hero, Deion Merrick. Mr. Merrick, thank you for being with us. Thank you for having me on. Oh, it's my pleasure and honor to speak to you. Tell me what happened that day. It was a day like I'll never forget. I was, you know, on my trash route, just, you know, picking up, we were just picking up trash. And I noticed a silver Nissan car parked off in the field. And that morning, around 1.30, I got an Amber Alert over my phone showing the description of the car, the suspect, and the victim. So I noticed the car, and I told my hopper, that's the guy who rides with me.

Uh, see, that was like, that's, that's the car that the suspect was in cause it's silver and it's a Nissan, same make and model. So something just hit me and said, back up. So as I was backing up, I was, I called nine one one. Cause I told, I told, uh, Mr. Brandon Antoine, I said, this is the car. And I didn't hesitate to call 911. So, I was on the phone with 911, and I backed up, blocked the driveway, and I popped my air brakes. And as soon as I popped my air brakes, it made a noise.

So, the suspect opened the door, and we both recognized that's the guy. And I was still on the phone with the 911 operator. So the 911 operator immediately dispatched the deputies from St. Martin Parish. And after that, pretty much not less than a minute, the deputy was there. They apprehended the suspect and the little girl, she was safe and she was alive. And that was my main thing, that the little girl was alive. Because where he was, he was most likely going to kill her. Oh, you know what? Mr. Merrick, guys, with me is Dion Merrick,

who says, quote, something told me. What's that car doing off in the field like that? That's a dude with a little girl. And boy, was he right. I'm looking at this field that you're talking about, and it's surrounded by trees. It's out. You're joining me from Louisiana today, correct? Yes, ma'am. Tell me about the area. And there's a lot of water around it. I'm very familiar with Louisiana. What part of Louisiana are you in?

I'm actually in New Iberia, Louisiana. But it happened a little north of St. Martin, not too far from us. That's our, you know, the parish to the left of St. Martin, not too far from us. That's our, you know, the parish to the left of us. But he, like, I noticed it because normally hunters normally be in trucks and they have their trailers with their four-wheelers and they're going hunting. But for a car to be so far in those woods like that, it was like a sore thumb, you know? Like, it just stuck out, you know?

And I was like, no, this can't be right. Like, what is a car doing way in this field like that, you know, like it just stuck out, you know, and I was like, no, this can't be right. Like what a car, what is a car doing way in this field like that? You know, this 10 year old little girl, 10 years old. I'm thinking about my children, Mr. America, a twin boy and girl, and they've just turned 13. But at 10 years old, I'm thinking of my little girl out in a car with a registered sex offender out in the middle of a field. The 10-year-old little girl had been reported missing from the family home on Monday afternoon, last seen wearing a red hooded sweatshirt. But it was early the next morning before 7 a.m. that Mr. Merrick, Dion Merrick, and Mr. Antoine spotted the vehicle while out working their shift. You know what? You know the statistics, Mr. Merrick, that within 72 hours, a child that has been kidnapped under these circumstances is dead, Mr. Merrick. Yes, ma'am.

Merrick takes swift action using his garbage truck to block the Nissan from exiting, to stop it from escaping, and called 911. The registered sex offender, Michael Serial, 33 years old, is now behind bars accused of aggravated kidnapping. Also, Mr. Merrick took cell phone video, which I know is going to come in handy at trial. Mr. Merrick, when you look back on it, I really think it was a miracle. I do. Because you could have just kept on driving. You could have been playing with your phone. You could have been talking to your partner. A million things could have happened to keep you from seeing that silver Nissan parked out in the field. But you looked. Yes, ma'am. My biggest takeaway from it,

a lot of people, you know, everybody's living their daily lives and everybody wants to rush through life, you know, at 100 miles per minute. But sometimes you just need to take a little time just to notice your surroundings. If you see something out of place, you say something. That is my motto, what I'm going to live for the rest of my life. If you see something, say something. Don't be afraid to actually open your mouth and say, hey, this is not right. A lot of people, oh, it's not concerning me. It's not my family member. It's not, you know, and that's wrong. We're all Americans. We all love each other.

You know, we got to just do the right thing from now on you know as a people crime stories with nancy grace sanitation workers think a car looks suspicious. Inside that car, a missing 10-year-old little girl. Dion Merrick says he had a weird feeling in the early morning hours as he took his route along Burton Plantation Highway. Was that morning like every other morning for you, Mr. Merrick? No, ma'am. I kind of felt something was different. Then, too, it was gone. I kind of felt something was different. Then, too, it was God.

I'm going to just be honest with you. It was God because I was supposed to go on another route to another location, but since a driver didn't have a hopper, the other guy, he just did both of the routes, and then I just did the other guy's route who didn't have a hopper.

So, like I said, it was just God, you know, put me in the right place in the right time and used me as a vessel, you know, and I appreciate him for doing that, for saving somebody's life like that. So you weren't even supposed to be there? Basically, no. I was supposed to be on another Basically, no. I was supposed to be on another route. But like I said, a hopper didn't show up and the guy didn't have a hopper. So I just did his routes. I did basically three routes that morning. And that was basically my first

route starting off, you know. So I would, like I said, it was just God wanted me to find that little girl. And you had seen the Amber Alert earlier, so you knew the car looked like the one in the Amber Alert. Yes, ma'am. You know, when you look back on it, and I understand the little girl was crying, crying for joy when she was rescued. Tell me about what you saw when the little girl was rescued. I just seen the little girl.

She was just so overwhelmed knowing that, you know, the officers and the suspect was apprehended. And she was just so, like, in shock. Because you have to understand, she was a 10-year-old little girl. She basically didn't know exactly what was going on, but she just knew she was away from her family. And like I said, that was just a devastating time for her. And she might have to go through therapy and stuff because I know a dramatic situation like that is going to affect her whole life. So I'm just praying for the family and, you know, I just pray she can get some, you know,

some help or counseling, you know, somebody to talk to because this is going to be a dramatic incident that went on with our family and the suspect, you know. The company that you work for, Pelican Waste, the CEO, Roddy Mathurne, states how proud he is of you, Mr. Merrick, and Mr. Antoine. And I guess he is. The guy is now in custody. If convicted, the registered sex offender could be sentenced to life in prison with no parole, no probation or suspension of sentence. Now, this guy's already a registered sex offender. He didn't take this little girl to go take her on a walk in the park. He took her to molest her as if he didn't learn the first time for Pete's sake.

Did you get a look at the guy, Mr. Merrick? Yes, ma'am. He looks like a big guy. Yeah, he's pretty big. A lot of people don't understand what I did. I basically put my life in jeopardy because this guy pretty much had a gun and everything. He could have shot, he could have shot me and my, uh, my coworker, you know, but at the same time, I wasn't, I have, I have a little girl, I have a son and like, I was thinking

about my kids and stuff. I wasn't thinking about, Oh, if this guy shoots me or anything, but like I said, I just, I'm just so happy I did the right procedures, like calling 911, actually waiting before I got out of the truck, you know, for law enforcement to take action before I actually got out of the truck. Like I said, I pretty much jeopardized my life to save another life. And I didn't hesitate or didn't think twice to do it, you know. The 33-year-old perp arrested in custody, charged with aggravated kidnapping. Mr. Dion Merrick with me.

He says, quote, she's safe now. Thank God, because I've got a little girl. I'm on my job doing what I've got to do. You know what? Thank God, Mr. Merrick, you were there that day and you saved this girl's life. You know, I don't know what kind of a bonus or reward you're going to get on this earth, but I know for sure you got your angel's wings. So you don't need to worry about that. I tell you, Mr. Merrick, you just give me the strength to keep on fighting. And I'm so

glad I got to talk to you today. Thank you for being with us, sir. Thank you for having me. With me, Mr. Dion Merrick, joining me from Louisiana, the Pelican Waste employee who calls 911 and saves a 10-year-old little girl's life from a registered sex offender. So many woulda, coulda, shouldas are ignored every day. But he didn't. He listened to the Amber Alert. He noticed the silver Nissan out in the middle of a field. And he acted, putting his own life in jeopardy. Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. And he acted, putting his own life in jeopardy.

Nancy Grace, Crime Story, signing off. Goodbye, friend. You're listening to an iHeart Podcast.