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POLICE Department
Officers in Action
Officer Matthew Peters
On March 5, 2010, Officer Matthew Peters received a call regarding a kidnapping in progress. After arriving on the scene, Officer Peters was unable to locate the vehicle that the kidnapping victim was said to be in. Several Eastside patrol officers checked by on the scene in an attempt to search the surrounding area fo...r the suspect’s vehicle. After a diligent search the vehicle could not be found.
The person who called the police originally (reportee) had called 911 from the Northwest side of town. It was learned from this person, who is friends with the victim, that he had received a text message from the victim stating that she had been taken by the suspect from a Walmart in Pasadena and that she was near the South Loop and Broadway.
Officer Peters, now knowing that the victim had a cell phone, decided to send a text message to the victim. The victim responded by texting back to Officer Peters that she was physically fine, but scared. Officer Peters remained in contact with the victim by texting her. Officer Peters kept the dispatcher and other officers involved of the situation as they continued searching the freeways.Through the texting, it was learned that the victim and her kidnapper were traveling towards Pasadena. The victim continued to text her location and Officer Peters relayed this information to an HPD helicopter (76 Fox) that spotted the vehicle and notified the patrol officers on the ground of its location. The suspect’s vehicle was pulled over without incident.
The victim did not sustain any physical injuries and the suspect was arrested without incident.
We commend Officer Peters and the all officers involved in this effort which lead to the eventual apprehension of the suspect and the safe recovery of the victim. The professionalism, patience, and quick thinking in which Officer Peters displayed during this incident is highly commendable.