Do you remember the last time you left something important at home and had to turn back to get it? It’s completely maddening when this happens don’t you think?
There are some people that believe in fate and that there are no such things as coincidences, then there are some that things happen for a reason, like a grand ordained plan. Earl Melchert, whatever he believed before the September the 5th he now won’t ever grumble about such a mistake again.
Earl returned to his house in Barett, Minnesota at lunch to pick up diesel, in the distance he saw what looked like it could be a deer, but as he got closer he realized it was a person!
That deer that was a person was really a scared 15 year old girl called Jasmine Block, soaking wet and very nervous to take refuge inside Earl’s truck.
Earl recognised the girl straight away, he had seen her picture on the television news, flyers and all across the internet, missing from her home Alexandria, Minnesota since August 9th.
Jasmine said that the father, who was 32 years old, came to her housemate at night looking for her help with his son. Jasmine got inside the truck he was driving and went with him to his house in Carlos, Minnesota.
Jasmine was tied with zip ties one she got there! For a whole 29 days she was sexually assaulted by Baker and his two friends Michael Samuel Powers and Jason Lee Holby, 21 and 31 years old respectively. She was moved to many different locations regularly.
Jasmine feared for her life all the time she was kept there and told investigators that Baker tried to Kill her three times, once in a bathtub, but he was not strong enough with his cerebral palsy. The 5th of September the two men transported Jasmine in a duffel bag in a pickup truck…
Completely scared, Jasmine found her chance to make a run for it when the two men went inside a store, so when she was unsuccessful in getting help in nearby houses she swam across a lake to get to land near Earl’s home…
Her captors were looking for her, desperately, and she knew it, she was desperate to get inside Earl’s Truck, she pointed the men out to Earl and he called 911, when the police came, ultimately leading to the arrest of the three captors.
Powers came out and said that he had spent two weeks at baker’s house and been involved in sex with a child. Baker only admits to heavy alcohol and drug use but denies accusations of knowing Jasmine, and even denies picking her up or holding her against her will.
For Earl, and his part in helping the girl and calling the police he received $7,000 from Alexandria Police Dept which he immediately gave to Jasmine’s family as an anonymous donor!
Earl had retired the wekk beofre really surprised everyone when he just smiled and handed his cheque to Jasmine and gave her a huge heartfelt hug.
He said:
“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done,”
“What a retirement present, to hand over some money to people that really need it.”
If Earl had not left something at home and hadn’t had to return, then he would not have been able to save Jasmine’s life, The next time you double back just think, maybe it’s fate or part of a bigger picture!