Name: 'She fought her way to freedom': Man in custody after alleged abduction of UVa student
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'She fought her way to freedom': Man in custody after alleged abduction of UVa student

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Skip to main contentSkip to main contentGet local news delivered to your inbox!Back to homepageSubscriber LoginPlease subscribe to keep reading. You can cancel at any time.Loading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{action_button}}{{tagline}}{{action_button}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You have permission to edit this article.EditRead Today's E-edition© 2023 Lee EnterprisesTerms of Service Privacy PolicySubscribeRead Today's E-editionShare This'She fought her way to freedom': Man in custody after alleged abduction of UVa studentCommentsShare thisPeak is still a few weeks away, but cooler weather and decreasing daylight mean the colors will start to pop in the mountains soon. Meteorologist Sean Sublette explains.A University of Virginia student was injured while fighting off an abduction that ended only when her alleged attacker crashed a work truck into a tree Wednesday night. While a bloodied woman was quickly found near the crash site, a manhunt involving multiple agencies worked overnight before a suspect was arrested shortly after noon Thursday.“A violent individual is no longer on the street,” said Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis at a post-arrest press conference. “Our community’s a little safer today.”The arrestee is 40-year-old James Robert Allen of West Point, who has been charged with strangulation and abduction, said Kochis.Police were first alerted around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday after a commercial pickup truck wrecked in a fraternity house yard at the corner of Grady and Cabell avenues. Before the truck came to rest against a tree trunk, it hit multiple vehicles and at least one other tree, officers reported.“I’ve got a female here with what looks like blood on her face and blood on her hands,” an officer can be heard moments later on a police scanner.“She doesn’t want me to approach her, but I believe she’s the victim of this,” the officer continued. “She had duct tape on her wrists.”While the police chief declined to confirm those details or whether a weapon was wielded, he said the young woman battled a violent stranger.“She fought her way to freedom,” said Kochis. “She’s a very strong woman.”The police scanner also seemed to confirm what images posted on social media showed: that the truck bore the logo of Curtis Contracting Inc. of West Point. That company holds a $28.5 million contract to design and build six major intersections, including the recently completed diverging diamond connecting Interstate 64 with U.S. Route 250.“We’re still following the investigation and don’t have anything to add,” company Vice President Steve Ordung told The Daily Progress Thursday, declining to answer any questions.The police chief expressed gratitude to the public for assisting in the manhunt by sharing his department’s social media posts, including a 6:42 a.m. Thursday Facebook post describing the attack with attached images of the suspect. That post showed around 2,000 shares by the time of Allen’s arrest, which Kochis said took place in Louisa County.“We received numerous sightings of this individual which ultimately led us to apprehend him,” said Kochis.He said the search involved helicopters, tracking dogs and the assistance of multiple law enforcement agencies, including Virginia State Police and Orange County Sheriff’s Office.“I just couldn’t be more proud of the cooperation,” said Kochis. “Resources just flooding the area.”“We called in all resources available to us,” he continued. “It was a phone call, and they’re like, ‘We’re on our way from Roanoke,’ ‘We’re on our way from Richmond,’ ‘We’re on our way from Culpeper.’”By late afternoon, Allen arrived at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail, according to jail officials. State records indicate that this is not the first time that Allen has been charged with abduction.A 2008 incident in Fauquier County led to a mistrial and later to an assault and battery conviction with a 12-month jail sentence. A strangulation conviction can bring a maximum five-year sentence while a conviction for abduction can bring 10 years.Kochis said the condition of the victim was stable, and UVa Police Chief Tim Longo expressed gratitude.“Thank God this young lady is safe,” said Longo. “She’s gonna work through this with a lot of support and love.”“My message to the students is to continue to be resilient,” continued Longo. “It is a safe place, but it also is an evil world.”Hawes Spencer (434) 960-9343hspencer@dailyprogress.com@HawesSpencer on TwitterCommentsGet local news delivered to your inbox!Peak is still a few weeks away, but cooler weather and decreasing daylight mean the colors will start to pop in the mountains soon. Meteorolog…University of Virginia Police Chief Tim Longo address the media outside the Charlottesville Police Department on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.&nbsp;Charlottesville Police Chief Michael Kochis addresses the media outside the Charlottesville Police Department on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.&nbsp;Allen

Skip to main contentSkip to main contentGet local news delivered to your inbox!Back to homepageSubscriber LoginPlease subscribe to keep reading. You can cancel at any time.Loading&amp;hellp;{{title}}{{description}}{{banner}}(renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax){{action_button}}{{tagline}}{{action_button}}{{special_title}}{{html}}You have permission to edit this article.EditRead Today's E-edition© 2023 Lee EnterprisesTerms of Service Privacy PolicySubscribeRead Today's E-editionShare This'She fought her way to freedom': Man in custody after alleged...

'She fought her way to freedom': Man in custody after alleged abduction of UVa student

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