Man gets prison time for carjacking vehicle at Hampton Beach with mom, baby inside

Staff report
·2 min read

HAMPTON — A Maine man will serve at least two years in prison after pleading guilty to stealing a car last summer at Hampton Beach with a mom and baby inside.

David Tayes, 46, of Baldwin, pleaded guilty Thursday, May 4 at Rockingham Superior Court to theft by unauthorized taking, criminal restraint, reckless conduct and simple assault as part of a negotiated plea deal with prosecutors. As part of the deal, three counts of kidnapping and one count of reckless conduct were dropped.

David Tayes
David Tayes

Rockingham Superior Court Judge David W. Ruoff handed down a two- to four-year sentence for the criminal restraint charge and one year for the simple assault charge, to be served concurrently.

Tayes also received a suspended two- to five-year sentence for the theft by unauthorized taking and reckless conduct charges.

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Defense attorney Deanna Campbell told the court that Tayes was struggling with mental health issues at the time of the incident and is now on medication.

Assistant Rockingham County Attorney Katelyn Brown told the judge that "it was really important to the victim" that the defendant seek treatment.

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As part of the sentence, Tayes was ordered to obtain a mental health evaluation and substance abuse LADC evaluation and "meaningfully comply" with all treatment and recommendations. He was also ordered to have no contact with the victims in the case.

Tayes was arrested by Hampton police on Friday, Aug. 26, 2022, after he abandoned the stolen vehicle and fled on foot.

David Tayes, 46, of Baldwin, Maine, was initially charged with two counts of kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle and reckless conduct.
David Tayes, 46, of Baldwin, Maine, was initially charged with two counts of kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle and reckless conduct.

Police said Tayes carjacked a Dodge Nitro with a woman and baby inside that had been parked on the north side of the Underwood Memorial Bridge.

“There were two women in the vehicle,” Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno said at the time. “When the woman driving got out, the man jumped in with the other woman still in the passenger side and an infant in the back seat. He took off at a high rate of speed, heading south over the bridge on Ocean Boulevard (Route 1A)."

According to Reno, the vehicle proceeded at speeds fast enough to endanger the lives and safety of the public, as well as those still in the vehicle.

When Tayes reached the traffic light at the intersection of Routes 286 and 1A in Seabrook, Reno said, the female passenger reached over and threw the car into park, warning the alleged carjacker she had called the police. Tayes subsequently jumped out of the vehicle and fled, Reno said, and the woman slid into the driver seat and drove the car and child back to Hampton.

According to a police affidavit, Tayes allegedly asked the woman for methamphetamine and told police that he was attracted to the woman and wanted to engage in sexual acts with her.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Man sentenced for Hampton Beach carjacking with mom, baby in vehicle