A Florida man was arrested in North Carolina for dramatically quitting his job as a privately employed jailer of sorts — while he was driving a cargo van full of prison inmates, authorities in the Tar Heel State say.
What apparently started as a bad workday is now compounded by several criminal charges with substantial potential jail time.
Joshua James Pinquet, 21, who hails from Orlando, stands accused of five felony counts of kidnapping in the second degree and one felony count of larceny by servants or other employees, according to Iredell County Sheriff’s Office records reviewed by Law&Crime.
The incident occurred on Nov. 28. In the middle of the morning, at around 9, deputies received a call to be on the lookout for an “inmate transport van” heading along Interstate Highway 40 in Statesville — a medium-sized city roughly 40 miles due north of Charlotte and considered to be part of the broader metropolitan area.
“The caller was the owner of the inmate transport company and reported the driver was off course and refusing to return the van,” a news release issued by the sheriff’s office reads. “The driver was identified as Joshua James Pinquet and reportedly had four inmates in the locked cargo area of the van.”
The owner of the company became aware of the unanticipated detour because another employee was traveling along with Pinquet and the inmates, according to the sheriff’s office. The second employee texted the owner about the issue with their co-worker.
Pinquet is alleged to have then told the owner “that he was quitting his job in the middle of the trip and refusing to stop at the intended destination with the prisoners,” the sheriff’s office says.
Joshua James Pinquet appears in a booking photo. (Iredell County Sheriff’s Office)
The van was stopped along Interstate 40 near mile marker 154, the sheriff’s office said. Both employees were detained, and the inmates were secured. Pinquet was arrested the same day and charged with one count of kidnapping for each inmate and the other employee.
“During the investigation, detectives learned the transport company had been hired by various law enforcement agencies outside North Carolina to deliver inmates to and from various detention centers around the country,” the news release reads. “The detectives conducted interviews and learned Pinquet was supposed to stop at a location in Hickory with the inmates but had refused to stop and continued traveling Interstate 40 into Iredell County.”
According to the sheriff’s office, the inmates were en route to Florida and turned over to other employees for the company, where they continued along toward their destinations in the Sunshine State.
He was initially held in the Iredell County Jail with no bond. Jail records suggest he was released on $750,000 secured bond on Saturday. Pinquet is slated to appear in court on Dec. 20.
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