Papa John’s delivery man rescues two girls while delivering pizza to their motel room

By MARLENE LENTHANG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 03:33 EDT, 19 June 2019 |

• Papa John’s delivery man Mark Buede was honored by the Lexington Police Department on Tuesday for helping save two girls from being allegedly abused
• In November he delivered a pizza to a Lexington, Kentucky motel
• Inside he found a man and a naked child on a bed behind him
• Concerned, he called police and three cops entered the room and found two girls hiding behind a bed
• An investigation led authorities to believe the man was abusing his daughters 
• ‘I’ve got kids. I’m going to protect kids if I can,’ Buede said on his good deed
• Buede and the three cops were honored with a public service medal on Tuesday  

A Kentucky pizza delivery man has been honored by police for helping rescue two little girls being allegedly abused by their father after he delivered an order to their motel room.

Papa John’s employee Mark Buede was delivering pizza to the Catalina Motel in Lexington last November and when he knocked on the door he found a man and a naked child on the bed behind him.

‘I got back to the car, and I said, “That didn’t seem right”‘ Buede recalled saying to his daughter Faith Buede, who also worked for Papa John’s.

‘I didn’t know what was going on,’ Buede said to the Lexington Herald-Leader. ‘I just knew it wasn’t right.’

Concerned, Buede called police and authorities found two girls hiding in the room. A subsequent investigation led authorities to believe the man had been abusing his daughters.

Kentucky Papa John’s delivery man Mark Buede (second right) saved two girls being abused by their father in November 2018 when he delivered an order to a motel room and saw a man and a naked little girl inside. Buede stands in blue with officers Corey Sutton, Zakary Ridener, and William Phillips Chief Lawrence Weathers (from left to right) after they were honored with a public service medal by the Lexington Police Department on Tuesday night 

Buede delivered a pizza order at the Catalina motel in Lexington, Kentucky (above) in November 2018 when he saw the disturbing scene and called police 

Buede and the three officers who investigated the case – Corey Sutton, Zakary Ridener, and William Phillips – were honored with a public service medal by the Lexington Police Department on Tuesday night for their heroic work that saved the lives of the two children.

‘I’ve got kids. I’m going to protect kids if I can,’ Buede said on calling the police

At the Tuesday award ceremony, programs had a printed account of the November incident.

‘After knocking on the door to the room, [police officers] heard a “scream” from a young girl,’ the program said.

Inside the room the officers found ‘two young girls hiding behind a bed’.

‘This discovery led the officers to begin an in depth investigation, which included ensuring the safety of the girls. Over the course of a few hours, probable cause was developed indicating that the man had been abusing his daughters,’ the statement said.

The follow morning the father was charged with multiple offenses.

‘I’ve got kids. I’m going to protect kids if I can,’ Buede said.

Buede had no idea his police call led to charges and rescuing the girls from harm until he read it in the awards program on Tuesday.

‘I knew that something happened, because they called me a couple of times to ask some questions, but I didn’t know exactly what happened.’

At the Tuesday ceremony he shook hands with officers William Phillips, Zakary Ridener and Corey Sutton for their work on the case.

‘It was a difficult night for all three of us,’ Phillips said. ‘It sticks with us to this day.’

The officers’ work was praised as a ‘testament to their duty to serve and protect, which has earned the esteem of colleagues and supervisors.’