A 94-year-old Winston-Salem woman was found calling for help on the 3200 block of Paddington Lane after police say a 15-year-old boy assaulted her and sexually assaulted her 32-year-old employee inside her home. Officers caught the teen after he fled the residence, and he now faces a first-degree kidnapping charge.
Officers Found the Homeowner Calling for Help
Police said officers saw the 94-year-old woman on the 3200 block of Paddington Lane calling for help, according to WXII 12. Investigators said the teen had assaulted the homeowner and sexually assaulted the employee while inside the home, though the station's report does not detail how officers were initially drawn to the scene. Police said officers then captured the teen after he left the residence.
The 15-year-old was charged with first-degree kidnapping, per the same account. Police said they are seeking additional juvenile petitions against the teen beyond that initial charge, though the station's report did not specify what those additional petitions might involve.
Police Say No Further Danger to Public
Winston-Salem police said there is no further danger to the public related to the incident. Officials also said no further information about the victims or the suspect would be released at this time, citing the nature of the allegations and the suspect's age as a juvenile, the report notes.
According to WFMY News 2, officers had been searching near the 3200 block of Paddington Lane for a suspicious person connected to a separate call when they found the 94-year-old woman in the roadway calling for help. That outlet reported that the juvenile left the residence and ran away before officers pursued him on foot and took him into custody a short time later. WFMY News 2 also reported that the Winston-Salem Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division is handling the investigation and that the juvenile is being held at a juvenile detention center on the first-degree kidnapping charge.
What North Carolina Law Requires for Kidnapping
Under North Carolina's kidnapping statute, G.S. 14-39 defines kidnapping as unlawfully confining, restraining, or removing a person without that person's consent, provided the act is carried out for one of the purposes specified elsewhere in the statute. The specific circumstances police say support the charge in this case have not been detailed publicly.
