ORLANDO, Fla. — Through applause and handshakes, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings presented Orange County Corrections Officer Timothy Williams with a Distinguished Service Award.
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“All I was doing is what any parent would do,” Williams said.
In August of last year, Officer Williams was working in his other important role, as a parent. He was spending the morning dropping his kids off at their bus stop in Polk County.
That’s when he noticed Nelson Perez pacing the area back and forth.
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Reports show Perez then tried to grab an 11-year-old girl, but she fought back, and Perez took off running.
“I chased him to the next block,” Williams said. “Held him down to the ground until the officer came.”
This quick action prevented a young girl from becoming the next victim of a crime.
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Orange County Corrections Chief Louis Quiñones said Officer Williams’ bravery is now shining a light on their team of hidden heroes.
“The work that we do are behind the walls and behind the barbed wire,” Chief Quiñones said. “But his actions show not only what we do inside we will do outside; he is a hero.”
A hero, a husband, and a father who his family is all looking up to.
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“One of my kids wants to be a corrections officer,” Williams said. “I know that seeing his dad get this award, he’s going to follow in my footsteps.”
Investigators said Perez did admit to trying to kidnap the girl and touching her inappropriately. He is charged with attempted kidnapping, lewd molestation and resisting arrest without violence.
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