Arkansas State Police officers arrested a Georgia man Friday afternoon near the busy interchange of Interstate 55 and Interstate 40 in West Memphis, eight hours after authorities said he kidnapped his 2-year-old daughter near Atlanta.
The girl, Sorrelle Torrez, was examined by physicians and deemed unharmed. Authorities handed her over to the Arkansas Department of Human Services on Friday evening, said state police spokesman Bill Sadler.
Sandy Springs, Ga., authorities reported the girl had been kidnapped by her father, Zebediah Lockett, 30, of Sandy Springs as her mother was taking her to a babysitter at an apartment complex in the north Atlanta suburb Friday morning.Lockett waited at the complex when Sorrelle’s mother drove there, said Capt. Keith Zgonc of the Sandy Springs Police Department. Zgonc said Lockett grabbed the mother from the vehicle, pushed her out and then drove away.
Investigators learned Lockett had family in Detroit and in Hope and advised state police in Arkansas to watch for Lockett. He was driving a black 2005 Range Rover Sport, Zgonc said.
Sadler said state police Sgt. David Moore and Cpl. Lowry Astin moved highwaypatrol troopers into the West Memphis area Friday morning to look for the vehicle. Georgia authorities issued an AMBER Alert shortly after the girl’s abduction at 8 a.m.
State police Cpl. Flarcell Tate stopped Lockett near the Southland Greyhound Park in West Memphis around 3:30 p.m. Friday.
The area is near one of the busiest highway interchanges in the country. A state Highway and Transportation Department website reports more than 75,000 vehicles pass through Interstates 40 and 55 daily.
“It really was like looking for a needle in a haystack,” Sadler said.
Lockett, who did not resist arrest, was being held in the Crittenden County jail in West Memphis on Friday night, Sadler said.
He faces charges of kidnapping, aggravated stalking and theft of a motor vehicle, Zgonc said. Lockett will be extradited to Georgia to face the charges, he said.
Authorities had issued a protective order against Lockett on Thursday, after the mother requested one, Zgonc said.
“We were concerned about the safety of the girl,” Zgonc said. “Based upon the manner in which he took the car - pushing the mother out like that - we wanted to make sure [Sorrelle] was safe.”
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 19 on 05/19/2013