A Corbin man was arrested Tuesday morning on charges that he kidnapped and threatened to kill a woman after jumping into her vehicle on U.S. 25W in north Corbin.
Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 35-year-old James William Moore soon after the woman reported the incident, which came to an end when she threatened Moore with a gun she pulled from her purse.
According to a police report, the victim told police that she was driving north on U.S. 25W near Kentucky Fried Chicken just after midnight when she stopped to offer a ride to a woman who was walking along the roadway.
“She said ‘out of nowhere’ a male appeared and got in the vehicle,” said Deputy Gary Mehler in the arrest citation adding when she told the man to get out of her vehicle, he told her he had a gun and would kill her child, who was in the back seat, if she did not take him to American Greeting Card Road.”
Mehler stated that the woman did as ordered, stopping at the church near Corbin Manor Apartments.
The woman told deputies that the perpetrator then ordered her to get out of the vehicle.
“She told him she ‘wasn’t getting out with the baby in there,’” Mehler stated.
A struggle ensued in which the perpetrator attempted to grab the car keys and when she fought back, he allegedly struck her on the left side of the face.
“She said she started pushing him and he put his hands around her throat and started strangling her,” Mehler stated adding the woman told the perpetrator to take the money she had and leave her alone.
Mehler said the woman told police that she reached for the purse to give him the money, producing a .380 pistol from the side pocket.
“She told him she would, ‘pull the trigger if he didn’t get out!’” Mehler stated explaining the perpetrator took $40 and a pack of cigarettes and fled the scene.
Mehler took Moore into custody about 3:20 a.m. on West Cumberland Gap Parkway.
Moore was charged with two counts of kidnapping, third-degree terroristic threatening, fourth-degree assault and theft by unlawful taking of an auto valued at $500 or more but less than $10,000 and lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Facility.
Moore is being held in the Laurel County Correctional Facility on a $100,000 cash bond.
Moore is scheduled to be arraigned today in Laurel District Court.
