OPA-LOCKA, Fla. – A 39-year-old man is facing serious charges after Opa-locka police say he kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, forced her to drive around for hours at gunpoint, and refused to let her leave the vehicle until she managed to drop a handwritten plea for help outside a local business.
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Jail records show Talmadge Newry Jr. is facing one count each of kidnapping, armed robbery carjacking, and illegal use or display of a firearm as an unauthorized alien.
Opa-locka police said the incident began Tuesday when Newry, of Miami Gardens, approached the victim — who told investigators the two had recently ended a year-long relationship — and forced her into her vehicle at gunpoint.
She said he ordered her to drive aimlessly throughout the morning until they eventually stopped at a restaurant on Pembroke Road, according to an arrest report.
The car’s battery later died, and Newry had it towed around 10 a.m. to Battery Max, located at 13840 NW 27th Ave., the report stated.
While there, the woman told police that Newry prevented her from escaping, at one point pulling her shorts down to her knees to keep her from running out of the vehicle, according to authorities.
Unable to roll down the window due to the dead battery, the victim said she wrote “Help me please” on a piece of paper and discreetly dropped the note out of the open passenger door, detectives wrote in the report.
Authorities said two Battery Max employees found the note and alerted their manager, who immediately called police.
Officers said they arrived just as Newry was leaving the area, heading south on Northwest 27th Avenue.
Employees pointed out the suspect’s vehicle, and a traffic stop was conducted near Northwest 27th Avenue and Opa-locka Boulevard, the report stated.
Police say Newry was taken into custody without incident.
They said a black Smith & Wesson handgun was found in his front right pants pocket, and both the gun and the handwritten note were impounded as evidence.
As of Friday, Newry is being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.
