On Friday, July 7, two women brought three children ages 4, 3 and 18 months to the Child Protective Services agency in Paris. It is unclear why the women had the three kids, but suddenly they left the office in a white Dodge Durango with the children. CPS authorities tried calling the women, who live in Paris, but they would not answer their phones. The Lamar County Sheriff Department then issued an Amber Alert.

The next morning, Monte Randolph and his wife were driving their 14-year old son to his summer league basketball game near Paris. The Randolphs live in Bogata, a community about 25 miles east of Paris. Randolph had been listening to his local fire department scanner, which was saying to be on the lookout for the kidnapping suspects in the area.

“All morning we had been talking about the Amber Alert,” says Randolph, who is a five-year meter reader. “Heading west to the basketball game, at the intersection of Highway 37 and 271 there is a 4-way stop. I told my wife ‘There is that white Durango sitting on the side of the road.’ When we passed them, they pulled out and headed east towards Bogata.”

Randolph turned around and caught up with the vehicle. An older woman was driving. The person in the passenger seat slunk down and made three kids in the back seat duck down.

“My wife read the license plate number and said ‘That’s it,’” Randolph said.

Bogata is a small town and Randolph knows almost everyone. On the way to the basketball game, he saw an officer sitting in her police vehicle on the edge of town. Randolph called and told the officer the suspect was about to pass her. When the Randolphs arrived, the officer had the white Durango pulled over. Two kids were standing beside the car and one of the suspects was holding the 18-monthold boy.

“After the two women were taken to jail, the officer thanked me,” Randolph said. “We just happened to be in the right place at the right time. This was a team effort from my wife and son. God was watching out for those kids.”