BUS DRIVER IS A HERO FOR FINDING MISSING 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL

Lakesha English has worked as a bus driver for only about six weeks, and she has already made quite the impression. She spotted a missing 11-year-old along Route 4 in Fairfield, Ohio. That’s when her motherly instincts kicked in. 

English said Pandora Phipps was all alone at a nearby shopping center. “I seen an itty bitty, little tiny girl sitting over in the corner, and as I soon as I pulled up, I gravitated straight towards her. I had a feeling in my soul that something wasn’t right,” English said.

Pandora had been missing and was 4 miles from her Hamilton home. “I asked her how did she get there, and she told me she walked,” English said. English said her instincts told her to take care of Pandora and get her home. “Be careful. You can sit right there and get warm if you want to,” English said on surveillance video obtained by WLWT.

She called dispatchers and they called Hamilton police. Then, she turned up the heat to keep Pandora warm. “I couldn’t imagine pulling away from that stop and not helping her. Anything could have happened to her. The wrong person could have approached her,” English said.

Many are now calling English a hero.  “It warms my heart. It really does. I’m trying not to cry. I’ve been trying not to cry. I spoke with her mom last night. It really warms my heart, you know, and I would do it 10 times over again,” English said. Pandora’s family said they are grateful for English’s help. They hope to stay in touch moving forward.