The dispatcher who was on the other end of a 911 text for help from a woman who survived being shot in last week's four-county police chase says her shift started like any other day.
Paige Sandlin, a Hunt County 911 dispatcher, would then receive the most dramatic 911 text or call she's had in her nearly six-year career as a dispatcher early Thursday morning.
"There was so much going on. It was a possible kidnapping, she was saying she had been shot, and then we ended up getting into a pursuit," Sandlin said.
Sandlin is being hailed as an unsung hero. She says she just was in the right place at the right time, but for Candie Price – who investigators say was being held against her will inside a moving RV – it was bigger than that.
"It was definitely hectic at times. You definitely had some moments were you were like, 'OK, what's going to happen now?'" Sandlin said.
She received the 911 text for help and quickly pressed further.
"What's going on?" she asked Price in her text response.
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Price responded, "Shot three time," and followed up by, "Kidnap us."
Sandlin says began multitasking – dispatching deputies, working with cell phone carriers to find a location – and within minutes the RV was spotted.
"She had told me his name, and when they found an RV and we ran the license plate, and at first I didn't think it was going to be the right one, but then his name showed up on part of the return, and that was kind of like when it hit me," Sandlin said. "It was like, 'OK so this is actually could get real here in a second.'"
Because of Sandlin's patience and persistence, deputies were in hot pursuit and shortly after, police say Price jumped out of the RV and was rescued. Her two children were later rescued before the RV went up in flames in Arlington.
The RV's driver, Tony Kelly Sr., fatally shot himself after leading officers on the pursuit, investigators said.
It was just another day on the job for Sandlin, but it's one she'll never forget.
"Right before I went to bed I was like, 'You did a good job, everybody's safe, we got everybody we needed to the help, it ended in an outcome that we wanted,'" she said.
Sandlin remained humble throughout the entire interview and told NBC 5 that she's hopeful to meet Price someday. At last report, Price was listed in critical condition at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas.
