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LEHI — An 8-year-old girl made it home safety Saturday, thanks to two Lehi police officers who heard an Amber Alert and set out to find her.
Police in South Salt Lake issued the Amber Alert for Jazsmine Corianna Leah Winston after she went missing Saturday morning. Jazsmine was found with her father, Robert Winston, 53, who does not have legal custody of her, about an hour and 45 minutes after the alert was issued.
As the news spread about the search for Jazsmine, Lehi Police Cpl. Jason Cormani and police officer Jeff Wilson were paying close attention.
“Cpl. Cormani and I generally go out and we try to be proactive and find things. And we knew if we were on the freeway at the right time, we'd be able to find the vehicle,” Wilson said.
With the description of the suspect vehicle changing, and South Salt Lake detectives tracking Winston's cellphone, the Lehi officers soon found themselves in the right place at the right time along I-15.
"We sat on top of the onramp and pulled off to the side of the road and waited … until the vehicle came by,” Cormani said.
With the Ford Expedition in sight, the officers had to carefully plan their next move.
"Once we saw it, we stayed behind. … I tried to hide behind a (semitruck). They didn't see me. And (Cormani) stayed back quite a few car lengths, and we watched it until we were able to get a confirmation," Wilson said.
Radioing ahead to other agencies, the officers decided to close in at 12300 South in Draper, where the situation ended quickly and peacefully.
“They complied with all of our commands, we were able to retrieve the 8-year-old female, no harm, everybody was safe,” Cormani said.
After being involved in the rescue, the officers said they have learned firsthand how effective Amber Alerts can be.
"I believe that (Amber Alerts) work if people pay attention. Obviously, there's no better way of getting information out there than a mass message," Cormani said. "And as we were following the vehicle, we passed under one of the road signs that had the Amber Alert on it, so I think getting the information out there worked well.”
“It worked perfect," Wilson said. "If you get enough information out there, then somebody's gonna see it somewhere, and that's how it works; that's how we find things."
For these officers, helping Jazsmine get home is what it was all about.
“That's why I got into this job, was to help people — especially innocent people, little kids," Wilson said. "And so it was a rewarding day to be able to bring her home safe.”
