ANNISTON KIDNAPPING SUSPECT CAUGHT IN KENTUCKY

Jul. 6—A man believed to be involved in the kidnapping of an elderly Choccolocco woman Monday afternoon was apprehended Tuesday evening, police say.

Tony Lamar White, 47, of Anniston, was captured by the highway patrol in Richmond, Ky., having been the target of a manhunt involving the Calhoun County Sheriff's Department, Anniston and Oxford police, FBI and U.S. Marshals Service.

"It was a teamwork effort, we had information and leads and knew that he was on the move," Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade said. "We were able to apprehend him in Kentucky through a collaboration with other states."

Betty Cobb, 75, had been reported missing approximately 1 p.m. Monday by her family. She had left her keys and phone on the bed, her glasses and her car in the driveway on Choccolocco Road in Anniston, officials said.

Through intensive effort during the afternoon, authorities developed leads and eventually found Cobb "duct-taped and bound" inside of her kidnapper's home.

"She thought she was going to die," Wade said.

Finding Cobb was "a miracle," based on the little information law enforcement had to go on, the sheriff said. She was taken to a local hospital for treatment of injuries.

Wade, who has been a friend of Cobb for many years, said when police found her, he hugged her and said, "We weren't leaving you. We weren't going home until we found you."

Early on, authorities discovered evidence pointing to White as a suspect. The Calhoun County Sheriff's Office widened the search, bringing in local, state and federal authorities into a nationwide hunt for White, which eventually led to his capture in Kentucky.

"Miss Betty Cobb went shopping, and as she went shopping a person was prowling the parking lot and picked her out as a person that he wanted to victimize," Wade said.

White followed her to two other stores then to her home, police said. He forced her into the trunk of a vehicle and drove her to his home in Anniston, where police would find her six hours later. She had been bound in a closet but was alive.

Wade called it "the stuff that horror movies are made from."

Cobb was treated for a laceration from where White allegedly struck her with the butt of a firearm, the sheriff said.

Cobb is known locally as a servant to her community who gives of her time when the need arises, according to Wade. Finding her quickly was an "all-hands-on-deck" situation, he said.

"Miss Cobb is well known to me personally. She's well known to almost every law enforcement officer in our county that works in this area because she's a servant," Wade said, adding that she is a "difference maker."

Cobb was an ambulance driver for many years and was a volunteer firefighter in her community and would lend a hand anywhere she was needed, the sheriff said.

Several agencies had a hand in locating Cobb, with "hundreds of people" giving up their Independence Day holiday to amass a search, according to Wade.

Before Cobb was found, Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, Anniston Police, Oxford Police, Calhoun County 911 District, Calhoun County EMA, the East Metro Area Crime Center, the Quad City Fire Department and other volunteers had worked throughout the holiday period to locate her.

District Attorney Brian McVeigh and his office acted quickly to deliver anything the sheriff's office needed in the way of search warrants or subpoenas to assist in the investigation, according to the sheriff. Wade praised all of the agencies involved and said they and the EMAC were instrumental to finding Cobb alive.

"We were coordinating with the East Metro Area Crime Center, who I cannot tell you — every city that does not have a crime center, they need one," Wade said. "I'm very thankful to the city of Oxford, their mayor and council, for having the vision and spending the money to have such a center in their community. It makes not only Oxford safe, it makes Calhoun County safe. It makes the whole region safe."

Wade issued a strong word of caution to the public to "be wary of your surroundings," as investigators believe this is not the first time White has committed this type of crime.

"People don't wake up, going to people's houses and kidnapping them," Wade said. "That's not the first crime they've done."

Similar cases have happened in the area back in 2012 and 2013 where a man followed an elderly woman home from a local store, kidnapped and sexually assaulted them, according to Wade.

In both of those cases, law enforcement was able to obtain DNA evidence from the victims and it was concluded that those crimes were committed by the same person. Prior to White's capture Tuesday, investigators said they hoped to compare those DNA samples to White's to determine if he should be a suspect in the 2012 and 2013 cases, according to the sheriff.

So far, White is facing charges of kidnapping in the first degree and burglary in the first degree, but others may be forthcoming.

Wade said he believed that Tuesday's news conference would bring out other victims of White's as his occupation was a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing facility where he worked with other elderly patients in his care.

Wade said he thinks White targeted elderly women specifically as they are "easier to control," but he said that was just a guess.

"We need the community's help with putting this guy in jail," Wade said just hours before White was found. "This guy does not need rest."

"It takes all of us to be a good community. We cannot do it alone," Wade continued.