August 1, 2002
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Pair honored for helping thwart kidnap attempt
Numerous charges filed against suspect
Two good samaritans from Metairie who helped deputies catch a would-be kidnapper in June got a nod from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office on Wednesday.		Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee commended Compter and Smith and presented them with awards. "They chose to get involved. It wasn't necessary," he said.
On June 11, Myrtis Smith and Lynn Compter saw a man in a red pickup truck pull up to Amber Thaller, 14, tell her something that evidently repulsed the girl and open his driver's side door as if to grab her.		Smith said her reaction was instinctive. She had noticed Copping circling the block and watching Thaller as she stood on a corner talking to friends. But she was only able to get a partial license plate number.
Smith motioned Thaller into her driveway on Versailles Street and called 911. Compter, who was driving behind the truck, took down the man's license plate number and turned it over to sheriff's deputies.		Compter saw the look of disgust on Thaller's face and decided to follow the red truck for a few blocks.
Their efforts resulted in the arrest of David Copping, 39, who was booked with three counts of indecent behavior with a juvenile, attempted aggravated rape, attempted simple kidnapping, attempted aggravated kidnapping, obscenity, performed sexual immoral act, and distributing the peace. Copping is being held in the parish jail,		"It just didn't look right the way she was shying away from him," said Compter. After seeing a news report of the incident on television, he called sheriff's deputies with the license plate number.
Earlier in the day, Copping had tried to snatch an 11-year-old girl as she was riding her bicycle in River Ridge, and he also was booked in connection with a similar attempt in East Jefferson on March 24, deputies said.		Cathy Thaller, Amber's mother, was at the awards presentation to thank the pair. "I'll be forever grateful to both of them," she said.