NEWBERRY COUNTY — A 911 call around 10:00 a.m. June 6, led deputies and highway patrol to a vehicle pursuit and an arrest for kidnapping.
Newberry County 911 received a call from a motorist on I-26 about a vehicle driving recklessly on I-26 west near the S.C. 219 interchange (Exit 76). A few minutes later the 911 Center received an open line call of a man pleading for help and begging to be let out of the car. He was able to tell a telecommunications officer he was near the Newberry exit.
As deputies were approaching the area, a Newberry County EMS ambulance on S.C. 121 headed toward Whitmire observed a vehicle driving erratically and a person in the passenger seat making gestures. As they approached the Indian Creek area on S.C. 121, the male occupant was able to exit the vehicle and was picked up by the EMS crew. A short time later, a deputy spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop. The driver of the vehicle accelerated and refused to stop. The deputy pursued the vehicle toward Whitmire.
As the chase entered town, a Whitmire police officer successfully deployed a tire deflating device. As the tires were going flat, the pursuit continued into Union County and wrecked on the railroad tracks near Carlisle. The driver was taken into custody, taken to Union County Hospital and released to the Newberry County Detention Center.
It was determined that the male victim was waiting for a bus transfer at the Greyhound Terminal in Columbia and was offered a ride by the female to Greenville. Shortly after getting on I-26 the female driver began acting aggressive toward the passenger and driving at a high rate of speed. At one point, the driver assaulted the passenger with a hair brush. Once the ambulance got behind the vehicle, the passenger was able to pull the emergency break and jump from the vehicle as it slowed.
It was determined the vehicle was stolen from Columbia.
April Dawn Smith, 35, of Ben Davis Road, Grover, N.C. will be charged with failure to stop for law enforcement and kidnapping. Smith is being held at the Newberry County Detention Center pending bond hearings and other charges.
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