Markell Hancox of Chesapeake, Virginia, was arrested and charged with five counts of second degree kidnapping, leaving the scene of an accident and larceny of a motor vehicle, police said.
A Virginia woman involved in a multi-level collision has been arrested after jumping into the SUV of a good Samaritan who stopped to help, and speeding away with the man’s five children, according to a published report.
Markell Hancox of Chesapeake, Virginia, was charged with five counts of second-degree kidnapping, leaving the scene of an accident, and larceny of a motor vehicle. She is being held at the Currituck County Detention Center, and her bond is set at $210,000, according to a release by the Currituck County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident took place on Sunday around 12:40 p.m. when a man driving the Suburban SUV witnessed the multi-vehicle crash on Route 158 in Grandy, North Carolina. The father of five went up to the crash site to check on the victims. Hancox, who was one of the drivers involved in the collision, jumped into the driver's seat of the Suburban and took off with the man's children inside the vehicle, officials said.
Officials said the suspect headed north on Caratoke Highway and pulled into a convenience store in Grandy, where she jumped and ran. Deputies from Currituck County and the victim himself caught up with her on foot and quickly apprehended her, the release said.
"The children were extremely shaken, but not harmed," the Currituck County Sheriff's Office said, People magazine reported.
On Monday, Hancox arrived at the Currituck County Courthouse for her first appearance. She has been appointed a public defender. It is not clear if she has entered a plea. Her next court date is set for November 17 at 9:30 a.m., according to the Currituck County Courthouse.
When Inside Edition Digital reached out to Hancox attorney, public defender Joseph Hollingsworth, he would not respond to our request for comment.
