Quick-thinking mother thwarts kidnapping attempt in Nevada

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — A Las Vegas mother of three discreetly used her cellphone to help police find them after being kidnapped at knifepoint.

On Monday, the Mesquite Police Department received a 911 call from the woman, but it was silent on the other end. A woman who had been kidnapped at knifepoint wanted police to find her and her children as they traveled in the suspect’s vehicle to Mesquite, over 80 miles away on the Utah border, according to KVVU-TV.

The station reported that the mother managed to keep the line open long enough for police to locate them without drawing suspicion from her kidnapper.

Just after midnight, police pulled over 34-year-old Justin Junius Carter of Las Vegas outside Mesquite.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, law enforcement officials said that Carter had tried to stab the woman in Las Vegas and then kidnapped the family. Police confirmed that Carter and the victim “had a relationship at one point.”

Police praised the mother for her courage during the ordeal.

“The bravery of this woman and her children cannot be overstated. They maintained their composure, and she bravely created a plan in her head to call for help as soon as she could,” Mesquite Police chief MaQuade Chesley told KVVU.

Carter was arrested at the scene and taken to the Clark County Detention Center.

His charges include:

• One felony count of attempted murder.
• Four felony counts of second-degree kidnapping in violation of extended protection order.
• One felony count of domestic battery with the use of a deadly weapon.
• Four felony counts of violation of an extended protection order.
• One felony count of attempted sexual assault.
• One felony count of coercion with the use of a deadly weapon and two misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest.

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, his bail is set at $500,000, and he is expected in court on Oct. 26.

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