BY TANYA BRICKING
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Davonna Sneed
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It was the urgency in her voice that roused a neighborhood awake two weeks ago.
Davonna Sneed screamed for help after 6 a.m. Oct. 30 when she saw a man snatch a 7-year-old girl from an Avondale street and throw her into a car. (Oct. 31 story)
''I started yelling, 'Help me! He got the little girl! He got the baby!' '' she said.
Neighbor Ricardo Hicks heard her screams and rushed to tackle the suspect. He and another man, Kurt Diggs, held off-duty Cincinnati firefighter Maurice Young down until police arrived to arrest him.
Ms. Sneed remained the unsung hero. Until now.
She will be honored today,along with Mr. Hicks and Mr. Diggs, in an awards ceremony at City Hall.
''I really don't feel like a hero,'' said Ms. Sneed, 26, an Avondale mother of two. ''I just feel like a concerned parent. I helped a little girl out that was in a bad situation. I thought about my baby, because I got a 6-year-old daughter.''
Ms. Sneed had just walked down Blair Avenue to take her 14-month-old son to his baby sitter when she saw the little girl walking alone in the dark.
The girl was walking to her bus stop in the rain.
''I said, 'Baby, I'll tell you what, be careful,' '' she said. ''I was walking backwards watching her, then I just seen this little girl get snatched into the car.''
Ms. Sneed said she broke an umbrella hitting the man. If not for her efforts, no one would have stopped the incident, Cincinnati police detective Gary Seal said.
Mr. Young, 40, of Silverton, an 18-year veteran with the fire division, was indicted Monday on charges of kidnapping, attempted rape, felonious assault, possession of criminal tools and attempting to use a minor in nudity-oriented material.
According to court records, he told police he planned to take the girl to his home and take nude pictures of her.
If convicted, he could be sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.
