A North Carolina guy wanted for kidnapping and armed robbery was apprehended after a police chase in Unicoi County on Wednesday morning.
Frank Rogers, Chief Deputy of the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department (UCSD), stated officers were contacted just before 6 a.m. by Winston-Salem’s sheriff of an armed robbery and kidnapping in their territory.
According to Rogers, North Carolina authorities were able to follow the suspect’s location to Unicoi County, where he apparently held a captive.
Deputies from the UCSD and Erwin police spotted the suspect in the victim’s vehicle at the Black Diamond Gas Station in Unicoi just after 6 a.m.
According to Rogers, a brief pursuit terminated on I-26 East near exit 32 in Unicoi County following a pit maneuver.
“We’ve found that when everybody works together, good things happen,” Rogers told the crowd. “From the Winston-Salem Sheriff’s Office, the Erwin Police Department, and our officers. Everyone working together is the only reason we were able to complete this successfully. It’s a team effort. These youngsters have done an excellent job. We destroyed a few cars, but we were able to return the victim to her family. That’s what counts the most.”
According to Rogers, the defendant will face charges of aggravated kidnapping, escaping, and evading from Unicoi County.
“Our officers are trained to conduct these high-risk maneuvers, pit maneuvers, as you see here,” Rogers was saying. “It is not something we want to do, but we prepare for the inevitable. On days like today, it’s helpful to have training, and our cops conducted an excellent pit move. You know, everyone is living.”
There were no injuries recorded during the incident.