SC kidnapping suspect arrested near Erie, Pa.
A man wanted in connection with a kidnapping and armed robbery in South Carolina has been arrested near Erie, Pa., authorities said Friday.
Justin Allen Penzes was picked up near the Pennsylvania city after a search by law enforcement, according to the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
A Tweet from the sheriff’s department said the incident in South Carolina occurred Feb. 9 on Seleta Circle. The area is in rural Lexington County west of Columbia near Pond Branch Road.
Before he was taken into custody, Penzes, 33, had been seen Wednesday afternoon in Hamburg, N.Y., a town near Buffalo and about 80 miles from Erie. Pa.., New York authorities said.
He was reportedly with a woman and a small child, according to the Hamburg Police Department. He also had been reportedly seen in West Seneca, NY, this week, Hamburg Police said.
Adam Myrick, a spokesman for the Lexington sheriff, said the Feb. 9 incident involves a gun and the taking of a car.
Two people forced a man into the trunk of a car, binding his hands and feet with duct tape, Myrick said. The victim was then driven to an unknown address, where he escaped. The victim then had an employee of a truck stop call 911 for help, Myrick said.
Penzes faces charges after he is extradited, according to the Lexington sheriff’s department. An effort to locate an attorney for Penzes was not successful Friday.
“We’re grateful to all the agencies — even several states away — that took the apprehension of Penzes so seriously,’’ Lexington County Sheriff Jay Koon said in a statement. “Because of their work, we can now start the process of bringing him back to South Carolina to face his charges.”
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 2:49 PM.
