ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. — A Reidsville man was arrested for charges related to kidnapping after Rockingham County deputies said he took a woman out on a date and refused to drop her back off at home.
The Rockingham County Sheriff's Office said on Sunday, May 12, around 10:40 p.m., they received a report about a woman who was claiming to be kidnapped while sitting in the passenger seat of an Infinity SUV.
Investigators said the vehicle was reported driving on NC-14 before a deputy found a vehicle matching the description and initiated a traffic stop. Once the vehicle stopped at Murphy's USA gas station at the Reidsville Walmart, the woman quickly jumped out of the SUV.
Deputies said during the investigation, they learned the driver, 44-year-old Garrett Wade Wheeler, and the woman had been on a date. However, investigators said Wheeler refused to take the woman back home. Instead, they said he passed the home and continued to drive, refusing to stop. Wheeler refused to let her out of the SUV despite her repeated pleas for him to do so. Due to his continued refusal to release her from the SUV, the female victim called 911 on her cell phone for help.
During a 911 call, you could hear the woman say she attempted to jump out of the car twice as the man kept driving through red lights.
Rockingham County deputies said Wheeler drove about 12 miles with the victim while refusing to let her out of the SUV.
Deputies said Wheeler was arrested for second-degree kidnapping and false imprisonment.
He was placed in the Rockingham County Detention Facility without bond, according to deputies.
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