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Police honor man who helped solve crime

PANAMA CITY — An ordinary local citizen who assisted a woman abducted at gunpoint was honored by police Thursday for aiding in an arrest in the case.

In December, Panama City Police arrested Freddy Lee Thomas, 37, in connection with a kidnapping incident where a woman was held at gunpoint and made to drive to an ATM and withdraw money. However, that may not have been possible without the help of a local Panama City man who witnessed the build-up to the abduction and immediately relayed details to the police, officials said Thursday.

In a recognition ceremony Thursday, Panama City Police Department Chief Scott Ervin presented Alan Long with a plaque for assisting in the case.

“From my time of being in the field, I can tell you this type of thing would not be possible without the assistance of our citizens,” Ervin said. “We encourage that type of involvement from our citizens.”

The victim told police she was in her car, having lunch at the dead end of West 13th Street, when a man stepped inside, sat in the back seat and nudged a gun in her side.

Alan Long, a resident of the area, could see from his kitchen window a man who looked suspicious. Moments later, the man appeared wearing rubber gloves, approached the car and drew a pistol, Long said.

“I just thought, ‘Am I really seeing this,’ ” he said. “ ‘Is this really happening?’ ”

Long stepped outside as the car pulled away and yelled to the woman, asking if she needed help, only to receive a panic-stricken gaze in return.

As the vehicle drove off, Long frantically scrambled to etch the woman’s license plate number in the gravel of his driveway before calling police to report what he’d seen.

During the kidnapping, the victim was forced to drive to a Tyndall Federal Credit Union ATM to withdraw $400. She then was instructed to drive to a specified location, where her assailant took personal items and exited the vehicle, fleeing the area, police reported.

The security footage detectives got from Steele Boys’ Bail Bonds, 1003 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., clearly shows Thomas exiting the victim’s vehicle and running away, police said.

The next day, U.S. Marshals, police and deputies arrested Thomas in the 500 block of North Everitt Avenue. Authorities found several items relating to the case in Thomas’ home afterward, police reported.

Though his call expedited an arrest in the case, Long was humble in regard to his role.

“I don’t think I did a whole lot to deter crime,” Long said. “If I would’ve done something to stop it I would feel like a hero. But this was something anyone would do to help another person.”


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