Pizza delivery man saves abused children from motel room

The incident happened at the Catalina Motel, pictured, in Lexington, Kentucky, in November last year.

A pizza delivery man has been honoured by police for helping rescue two little girls being allegedly abused by their father in a motel room.

Papa John's pizza worker Mark Buede got the call to deliver pizza to the Catalina Motel in Lexington, Kentucky, in November last year.

When he knocked on the door he found a man and a naked child on the bed behind him.

Kentucky Papa John's delivery man Mark Buede (second right) stands in blue with officers Corey Sutton, Zakary Ridener, and William Phillips Chief Lawrence Weathers. Photo / Supplied

"I got back to the car, and I said, 'That didn't seem right'," Buede told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

"I didn't know what was going on. I just knew it wasn't right."

Buede called police, who found two girls hiding in the room. An investigation led authorities to believe the man had been abusing his daughters.

Buede and the three officers who investigated the case - Corey Sutton, Zakary Ridener, and William Phillips - were honoured with a public service medal by the Lexington Police Department.

An account of the incident was available at the ceremony.

"After knocking on the door to the room, [police officers] heard a 'scream' from a young girl."

Inside the room the officers found "two young girls hiding behind a bed".

"This discovery led the officers to begin an in depth investigation, which included ensuring the safety of the girls. Over the course of a few hours, probable cause was developed indicating that the man had been abusing his daughters," the statement said.

The follow morning the father was charged with multiple offenses.

"I've got kids. I'm going to protect kids if I can," Buede told the Herald-Leader.

Buede said he had no idea his police call led to charges and rescuing the girls from harm until he was contacted to attend the award ceremony.

"I knew that something happened, because they called me a couple of times to ask some questions, but I didn't know exactly what happened."

At the ceremony Buede congratulated with officers William Phillips, Zakary Ridener and Corey Sutton for their work on the case.

"It was a difficult night for all three of us," Phillips said. "It sticks with us to this day."

The officers' work was praised as a "testament to their duty to serve and protect, which has earned the esteem of colleagues and supervisors".