A kidnapping turned into a police chase at hellacious speeds across the state of North Carolina, according to troopers, and now Joshua Taylor Stokes, 36, is currently sitting in the Wake County Jail without bond.
This started in the area of Chesapeake, Virginia, some 180 miles north of Wake County, according to cops there.
The victim, a woman with whom Stokes had been in an intimate relationship, called 911 and told authorities he was not letting her out of the vehicle, police spokesman Officer Leo Kosinski told Law&Crime.
Joshua Taylor Stoke led troopers on a high-speed chase across North Carolina while kidnapping a woman, authorities said. (Mug shot: Wake County Sheriff’s Office)
Investigators used phone pings to track the vehicle, determining the drover crossed into nearby North Carolina, he said. Officers contacted their counterparts there.
According to North Carolina State Highway Patrol, a trooper on Sunday at approximately 4:12 p.m. tried to stop a purple Dodge Challenger going 146 miles per hour in a 65 mph zone on US 64 near mile marker 466 in Edgecombe County. Authorities chased when the driver refused to stop, they said.
The pursuit continued west along US 64 through Nash and Franklin Counties, and finally Wake County.
Stokes exited at Lizard Lick Road, but he lost control and crashed into a guard rail. Authorities arrested him and found a woman in the car too. Authorities note that it had been her vehicle, and that she had an active domestic violence protection order against the defendant.
Victim and defendant were taken to Wake Medical Center for minor injuries from the crash.
The North Carolina Highway Patrol charged Stokes with kidnapping, reckless driving to endangering, driving while impaired, fleeing to elude arrest, and felonious restraint.
Kosinki told Law&Crime that Stokes currently faces no charges in Chesapeake. Officers there had not had the chance to speak to anyone yet, and the investigation continues.
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