By Shannon McFarlin WENK/WTPR News Director
Paris, Tenn.—A sharp-eyed and kind-hearted waitress in Paducah is being hailed after a tip from her that made its way to Paris Police resulted in the arrest of a couple on charges of aggravated child abuse.
As WENK/WTPR reported Tuesday, Mark Pierce, age 33, and Jessica Woodworth, age 36, both of North Brewer Street, were arrested at Henry Co. Medical Center on the charges, which involve physical abuse of a 20-month-old infant.
But there was more to the story.
Jordan Cooper, who works as a waitress at the Olive Garden in Paducah, spotted something unusual about the family they had seated at the restaurant.
Jordan told WPSD-TV in Paducah that she noticed the baby and “She looked at me with a face that said, ‘Help’.” Seated at the table were two adults and two children. She said, “I can’t even describe to you how bad she looked. And how and why nobody noticed it.”
The waitress and others took a photo of the adults and children; the couple began noticing what was happening and tried to pay their check to leave. She followed the couple outside and took their license number and called 911.
She also posted the photo to social media and it was shared thousands of times. Finally, a classmate of hers—who is a dispatcher at the Metropolis 911—saw it and after running the plate number, called the Paris Police with the information.
Paris Police Investigator Derrek Colley told WENK/WTPR this morning that the waitress had observed some bruising on the child’s face and noticed that the male was acting aggressively toward the baby.
Once the tip was received by Paris Police, officers went to the home on N. Brewer St. to conduct a welfare check and also observed the bruising on the child. Colley said he told the couple to take the baby to the emergency room at Henry Co. Medical Center, where the arrest was made.
Colley said both children have been removed from the home per orders of the Department of Children’s Services.
Both Pierce and Woodworth are still in jail on the $200,000 bonds that were set.
Colley said the Paducah waitress “did an outstanding job. If she hadn’t noticed something and done all that, we wouldn’t have gotten the information.” He said the investigation is ongoing.
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