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Police say 13 yr. old girl’s bravery saves her own life after being kidnapped, assaulted

Posted at 3:14 AM, May 11, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-11 03:20:01-04

KALAMAZOO, Mich. --  A 13-year-old girl was found safe Wednesday night after she  called police and told them she'd been kidnapped and was being held captive in a home on the 1600 block of Clinton Avenue in Kalamazoo.

"A couple people’s phones got alerts that a child was abducted," said Sheree Brown who lives in the area with her children. "And then we learned later on last night that 13-year-old girl was at a bus top on Clinton and Portage and he drove down there and forced her in the car."

Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety said he then drove her back to his home and it was there that he allegedly sexually assaulted her. Unexpectedly his wife came home and he panicked. He then hid the victim in a closet.

Dontrel Williams

"When she was placed in the closet when the suspect's wife came home, he went downstairs to talk to her," said Captain Victor Ledbetter. "That's when she was able to call 911."

Police said she described to them the home she was in and the neighborhood they drove through. Using her description and their technology they were able to rescue her within minutes.

Court and police records identify the suspect as Dontrel Williams. He is currently being held at the Kalamazoo County Jail and is facing kidnapping and criminal sexual conduct in the the 1st degree charges. He is expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon.

"To think that this is right here in the neighborhood, right across the street," said Brown in disbelief. "Who do you trust."

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety at 269-337-8994 or Silent Observer at 269-343-2100.