An act of quick thinking and bravery by an Orange County Corrections Officer has earned him high praise and a prestigious accolade. Timothy Williams, an officer with Orange County Corrections since 2007, has been honored with the 2023-2024 Florida Missing Children’s Day Citizen of the Year Award by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for intervening in a kidnapping attempt in Polk County. The recognition commemorates Williams' decisive actions that helped prevent the abduction of an 11-year-old girl, as reported by the Orange County Government.
Last August, Williams encountered a crime while standing with his child at a school bus stop. A man tried to kidnap the girl, who bravely fought against her assailant. Intervening as a parent first, Williams stepped in, stopping the kidnap attempt. He managed to keep the suspect in the vicinity despite his attempts to flee until deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office arrived. Subsequently charged with attempted kidnapping and other serious offenses, the assailant admitted to detectives he intended to take the girl to his home and confessed to inappropriate contact, as detailed in a press release from the Orange County Corrections Department.
"Had Officer Williams not bravely and swiftly intervened, an 11-year-old girl would’ve become a victim of a crime," said Louis A. Quinones, Jr., Chief of Orange County Corrections, according to the press release. The Florida Missing Children’s Day Citizen of the Year Award is a testament to those who show exceptional efforts in preventing child abductions or in aiding the recovery of children from imminent danger.
Additionally, Williams' actions were recognized at the Orange County Board of County Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, September 10. His unwavering response to a potential tragedy embodied the heroism the award seeks to acknowledge.
