Real heroes don’t wear capes. They are dressed just like you and me, and they go about their daily lives in between bouts of fighting crime. They are the workers, the drivers, the average people who take it upon themselves to speak up when they see something that isn’t right. They might not have superpowers, but they work hard to make the world a better place.
One such man is Kevin Kimmel. He is a truck driver who works long hours, but he never stops being alert. As you can imagine, Kevin often stops at truck stops – it’s a necessary part of his job. Over the years, Kevin has learned to recognize when something isn’t right.
His experience has helped him learn the typical habits of others on the road. He knows what other drivers are typically up to, and he can spot a problem from a mile away. One night, Kevin’s powerful insight helped him to get a young woman out of a BAD situation.
It was late at night in January of 2015. The weather was crisp, and Kevin pulled into a rest area in New Kent, Virginia. He planned to continue on with his typical routine, but something stopped him in his tracks.
Something just wasn’t right about this scene. Kevin knew exactly what was wrong: there was an RV parked just a few spots away from him – at the back of the stop.
“Older RV, black curtains,” Kevin told WTVR. “In my world that’s not kinda natural. When RVs usually use truck stops, they park out front.”
He knew something was going on, so Kevin decided to investigate little more. He watched as a man knocked on the door and stepped inside. The driver was instantly suspicious. He needed to find out more.
The RV started to rock back and forth. Eventually a young woman stared out the window; she was in complete distress. Kevin understood what was going on. This woman was being forced to act against her will – in the most heinous way imaginable.
Kevin wasn’t the type to sit idly by while tragedy struck. He knew he had to take action. “So I called the police and, within five minutes, there [were] four cars there,” Kevin recalled.
This man had saved the woman’s life. It turned out that a couple had abducted the stranger Kevin saw in the back of the RV. They had been forcing her into prostitution for who-knows-how-long. If it wasn’t for Kevin’s quick thinking, she probably would have been trapped in that awful place for much longer.
The couple who was responsible for creating this dreadful scene faced swift justice. They were both convicted. Because of Kevin, they were off the streets and unable to harm any more innocent victims.
This cape-less hero was happy to be able to make a difference. “That person is alive today, and two really bad people are where they’re supposed to be.”
Kevin’s journey didn’t stop there. The truck driver decided to dedicate his time to making a difference, and he his story has reached so many people.
For the past two years Kevin has traveled across the country to speak out against human trafficking. He has joined forces with Truckers Against Trafficking, a group “that exists to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of the trucking and busing industries to combat human trafficking.” TAT’s main goals are to “saturate trucking and busing industries with TAT materials; partner with law enforcement and government agencies to facilitate the investigation of human trafficking; [and] marshal the resources of our partners to combat this crime.”
Truckers are on the road more than just about anyone else, so they are the perfect heroes to put an end to human trafficking.
Because Kevin was paying attention that night, he was able to stop a horrible situation from continuing. He firmly believes that reporting suspicious activity is the best way to stop crime.
“Do the right thing; you know, if you see something – say something.”
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