NEWTON COUNTY, Texas — Newton County Constable Pct. 4 Howard Wonders has deemed a sergeant in his office 'Hero of the Month' after she saved a toddler who was running across a busy street in Houston.
Sergeant Lisa Stepney of the Newton County Pct. 4 Constable's office was driving down Scott St. in Houston on Dec. 7 when she spotted the child.
Sgt. Stepney was able to block traffic and bring the child back to her vehicle. Soon after, she spotted 3-year-old Jelena's parents frantically searching for her near the roadway.
"My heart just fell and I remember just falling to my knees right in the grass right outside my door," the girl's mother, Tyeshia Simmons said. "I run down the stairs and I'm screaming and I'm waking up everyone downstairs."
Sgt. Stepney was working a fill-in job at KIPP Elementary nearby when the incident occurred.
"She was a toddler running across the street. I stop and activated my emergency lights. I put it in park and ran out to the truck. I ran where she was and put her in the front seat of my truck," Sgt. Stepney said.
Sgt. Stepney lives in Houston and drives the 173-mile drive back and forth from Newton County to the Sunnyside area of Houston everyday, purely because of her passion for the job.
"Policing is my passion, to protect and serve my community," she said.
After flagging the couple down, Sgt. Stepney was able to confirm they were the toddler's parents.
"Her neck raised up and she was like start pointing and smiling so i knew I didn't give her to the wrong people. That's what was most important," Stepney said.
While speaking with the parents, Sgt. Stepney told the couple they needed to find a way to avoid a situation like this in the future. The parents called her a hero and thanked her for saving their child.
Sgt. Stepney returned to the Williams' house with a Christmas gift for Jelena, but the real gift is for mom, whose child is home safe and sound.
"You didn't just save her life, she saved my life, my son's life, my families' life bc if something happened to my daughter. It would've been extremely, extremely bad," Simmons said.
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This is a developing story. We will update with more if and when we receive more confirmed information.