COVINGTON, La. — Authorities say a Florida man is in custody after they say he kidnapped his girlfriend at knifepoint and drove her from Largo, Florida to Covington, La.
The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff's Office says Jay Langford was arrested and booked on one count each of domestic abuse battery, simple assault, possession of Xanax, and aggravated flight from an officer.
Deputies say a concerned citizen called 911 on Sunday after she saw a woman who appeared to be in distress riding in the backseat of a car on Highway 190 in Covington. The sheriff's office said the woman in the car later called the sheriff's office herself and said she had escaped out the window of the car and ran away after he threatened "to kill her and dump her body on some dead-end street."
Investigators say the woman told deputies that she and Langford were staying at a home off Highway 1078 in Covington since they arrived in the area on Sept. 12. She said she was brought there after he kidnapped her from her home in Florida on Sept. 11, and on Sept. 18 he reportedly began beating and threatening her.
While driving to the home, the sheriff's office said deputies saw Langford driving on Highway 1078 and tried to stop him. When he saw the patrol car, he reportedly drove off, prompting a brief high-speed chase. He was later taken into custody, the STPSO said.
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