Lincolnton, NC - Handcuffed Wanted Suspect Steals Lincoln County Deputy Sheriff's Police Cruiser From Traffic Stop - Suspect Escapes
Handcuffed suspect steals police car
Posted: Tuesday, Jul. 28, 2009
Charlotte Observer
Harry Houdini has nothing on 38-year-old David Todd Martin.
Lincoln County authorities say Martin somehow managed to steal a police
cruiser and drive away overnight -- despite being handcuffed.
Authorities in Lincoln and Gaston counties were still looking for the man this
morning.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office said Martin, of Mount Holly, was pulled over
by a sheriff's deputy overnight for a traffic stop, on N.C. 16 south near the
Lincoln-Gaston county line.
The deputy handcuffed Martin and put him in the back of the cruiser. Somehow,
authorities say, Martin managed to get into the front seat of the Ford Crown
Victoria and drive away. Later, police in Gaston County found the cruiser near
Lucia River Road and Underwood Drive.
The vehicle was abandoned.
Martin had been arrested in late June in Lincoln County on charges of resisting
arrest and having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, according to the
Lincoln County Sheriff's Office