Florida: Hostage Mother Uses Pizza Hut App To Call For Help [Video]

A mother in Florida was being held hostage at knife point until she had the brilliant idea to use her Pizza Hut app to call for help. According to NBC News, Cheryl Treadway was being held captive along with her three children by her 26-year-old boyfriend, Ethan Earl Nickerson, Monday afternoon.

WSBTV reports that Treadway and her boyfriend, Nickerson had been arguing throughout the day about his drug problem. As his anger level increased, Nickerson took Treadway’s cell phone away from her. She tried to leave her home telling him she needed to pick her children up from school.

But Nickerson, having none of that, grabbed her arm and threatened her with a knife. He refused to let her out of the house alone and insisted on riding with her to pick up the children. Treadway, fearing for her life, agreed. When they returned home with the children, Nickerson continued to hold Treadway and her children captive at knife point.

Treadway begged Nickerson to let her use her cell phone to order a pepperoni pizza online from Pizza Hut. Nickerson reluctantly agreed. The Highlands County Sheriff’s Office revealed to WCVB that Treadway used the opportunity in ordering her hand-tossed pizza to slip in a distress message.

“Under the comments section, there was a message asking them to send help and call 911 as they were being held hostage.”

Being quick on her feet, Treadway simply typed in, “Please help!! Get 911 to me! 911 hostage help.” As a regular customer of Pizza Hut, the employees know Treadway and knew immediately something was wrong when they received that message.

The Pizza Hut store manager, Candy Hamilton, immediately called the police. Hamilton admits to WSBTV that in her 28 years of working for Pizza Hut, she had never experienced anything like this.

Highlands County Police were dispatched to Treadway’s home. When they arrived, Treadway greeted them carrying a child in her arms.

As officers escorted her and the child to safety, authorities reveal to WCBV that Treadwill told the officers her boyfriend, Ethan Nickerson, was still inside the home carrying a large knife with her other two children.

Lt. Curtis Ludden says Nickerson yelled out, “I’m not coming out because I know I’m going to jail.”

After 20 minutes of negotiating, Nickerson finally came out of the house leaving the other two children inside, unharmed.

Nickerson was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a weapon, battery, false imprisonment, and obstructing justice by depriving communication to law enforcement.

Lt. Curtis Ludden admitted to WCVB that he was rather impressed with Cheryl Treadway’s quick thinking.

“I don’t know if I ever would have thought of it. I mean it’s just something that she did so naturally. The boyfriend never knew about it until he saw us coming around the corner.”

[Photo Credit: Augustine.com]