Warning: This article contains discussion of domestic violence which some readers may find distressing.
A child has been praised for potentially saving their mother’s life with their brave actions when they got on a bus in the morning for school.
A student last Wednesday (24 September) ended up being their mother’s savior, according to the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office.
The first-grade child, who has not been named, was remarkably able to get their mother out of harm’s way
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The student, from Sumner-Fredericksburg School, located in Fayette County, Iowa, handed a bus driver a note that forced them to act.
They handed the note to the driver at 7:24 am and not long after, deputies responded to the child’s rural residence in Westgate, Iowa.
Authorities discovered that the student’s mother was being held against her will by 29-year-old Glenroy Stefand Miller.
Miller was taken into custody on domestic abuse assault and obstructing emergency communication charges after allegedly taking the victim's phone.
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The note had a simple and chilling message: ‘Call 911’.
It had reportedly been written by the student’s mother, as she was unable to call for help herself in the suspect’s presence.
Authorities investigated the situation after detaining Miller and later revealed that Miller had assaulted the victim throughout the night and kicked her with enough force to break two ribs and puncture a lung.
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The Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post: “At one point Miller started to take her to the hospital and then turned around and forced her home after realizing he would go to jail if he did. Miller continued to assault the victim throughout the night, causing serious injuries and threatened to kill her by holding a knife to her throat and wrists."
The Sheriff’s Office added that he faces the following charges:
- Domestic abuse assault with intent to inflict serious injury
- Willful injury causing serious injury
- Kidnapping 2nd degree armed with a dangerous weapon
- Obstruction of an emergency communication device
Miller is currently being held on a $1,500 bond, public arrest records show. He is also being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as he is originally from the Bahamas.
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If you are experiencing domestic violence, please know that you are not alone. You can talk in confidence 24 hours a day to the national domestic violence helpline Refuge on 0808 2000 247.
Gerrard Kaonga