[June 11, 2007] AT&T, Wireless Industry Honor Florida Teen Who Escaped Abductor Tweet (Wireless News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) A 13-year-old Parrish, Fla., boy who made national headlines for using ingenuity to escape his kidnapper and to call for help on a cell phone will be honored with a VITA Wireless Samaritan Award in Washington, D.C., on June 11, courtesy of AT&T. Each year, CTIA - The Wireless Association presents the VITA (Latin for "life) Wireless Samaritan awards to people across the United States who used wireless phones to save lives, stop crime or help in other emergency situations. Wireless carriers submit nominations for the awards. AT&T announced the nomination of Clay Moore for the prestigious award. While waiting for his school bus the morning of Feb. 23, Moore was abducted at gunpoint by a man and forced into a pickup truck. As his kidnapper drove him to a remote area in eastern Manatee County, Moore managed to slip a safety pin, which he had thought might come in handy later, from his jacket into his mouth. Once deep in the woods, Moore's kidnapper tied him to a tree, stuffed a sock in his mouth and bound his wrists and ankles with duct tape; the kidnapper then left. The teen managed to get the sock out of his mouth and used the safety pin to tear through the duct tape on his hands and feet. Moore then walked to a nearby farm and called his parents with the farm worker's cell phone. "Every day, more than 230,000 wireless phone calls are made to 9-1-1," said Rudy Hermond, vice president and general manager of AT&T's wireless operations in West, Central and North Florida. "This young man's incredible story demonstrates the important role that wireless technology can play in emergencies." Nominations for the VITA Wireless Samaritan Award are judged by representatives from the National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators, National Emergency Number Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, Fairfax County Police Department, and CTIA - The Wireless Association. This year, the judges chose approximately 30 Wireless Samaritan awardees. A select few, including Clay Moore, will be highlighted at the 13th Annual ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) ((Distributed on behalf of 10Meters via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com)) ((10Meters - http://www.10meters.com)) Copyright 2007 Wireless News [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]