ROCHESTER, New Hampshire — A Rochester woman was arrested on a felony charge of kidnapping after attempting to flee with the 1-year-old daughter of a man who stopped to give her a ride, according to police.
Joanne E. Shaw, 25, of 7 Piper Lane, Gonic, was also charged with two counts of simple assault, one count of criminal mischief and one count of resisting arrest, all misdemeanors.
According to police, a 52-year-old Rochester man was driving on Washington Street with his daughter on Saturday at about 8:40 a.m., when he noticed Shaw walking in the roadway.
Although the two are strangers to each other, the man reportedly stopped to check on the woman and asked if she needed a ride.
Soon after getting into the vehicle, Shaw allegedly said she was going to take the child, made attempts to unbuckle the child’s seat belt, and struggled with the father as he was trying to pull over and stop the vehicle.
As the vehicle came to a stop, Shaw was able to take the child and flee on foot. She was chased down by the father, who called police, according to the police report. Police say Shaw struggled with arriving officers and resisted arrest.
She was being held Sunday on $5,000 cash bail at the Strafford County House of Corrections, pending arraignment on Monday at Strafford Superior Court.
No one was injured in the incident, according to police.
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