COVINGTON, La. (WGNO) — The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office arrested a Florida man after he kidnapped his girlfriend at knifepoint and drove her from Largo, Florida to Covington, La.
According to a STPSO report, a concerned motorist called 911 Sunday afternoon after she observed a woman who appeared to be in distress in the backseat of a vehicle traveling on Highway 190.
Soon after, deputies received a call from the victim herself, who reported she had climbed out of the window of the vehicle and fled after her boyfriend threatened to “kill her and dump her body on some dead-end street.”
The victim told deputies her and her boyfriend, Jay Langford, had been staying at a residence off Highway 1078 in Covington since they arrived in the area on Sept. 12. Langford allegedly kidnapped the victim from her home on Sept. 11 and seven days later began physically assaulting her and threatening her life.
While en route to the residence Sunday afternoon, deputies observed Langford driving on Highway 1078. When Langford saw the patrol car, he sped off. Following a brief, high-speed pursuit, Langford was taken into custody.
He was booked into the St. Tammany Parish Jail on one count each of Domestic Abuse Battery, Simple Assault (Domestic), Possession of Schedule V (Xanax) and Aggravated Flight from an Officer.
