Investigators in Highlands County said that a Pizza Hut in Avon Park received an online order for a pizza on Monday, which was placed by Cheryl Treadway. Treadway wrote a message asking someone to call 911, so the employees alerted law enforcement.
Treadway said she convinced her boyfriend, who was holding her and her children hostage with a knife, to let her to use her cell phone to order a pizza.
Candy Hamilton, the restaurant’s manager, said that she has been working there for 28 years and she has never seen anything like that come through.
After police were alerted, they arrived at Treadway’s home, where they spotted her running outside with a small child. Her boyfriend, Ethan Earl Nickerson, 26, was persuaded to come outside peacefully and her other two children were not harmed.
Police said that before Treadway was able to ask for help, she was being held all day long by Nickerson.
Nickerson was arrested and is facing numerous charges, including aggravated assault with a weapon, as well as false imprisonment and batter. He is also being charged with obstructing justice by depriving communication to law enforcement.
