A Shenandoah County man who has been evading law enforcement since Wednesday was caught Friday afternoon. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Mitchell Markley Jr., 39, allegedly abducted 41-year-old April Cline from a Basye home on Wednesday morning. Cline was found on Thursday outside of New Market, and is safe, but Markley was still on the loose at that time. He was apprehended shortly before 2 p.m. Friday afternoon, following a car and foot chase in Rockingham County.
TIMOTHY CARTER: Apparently there was a third vehicle stolen at some point in northern Rockingham County. … There was a vehicle crash and he has been taken into custody without incident.
After Markley's arrest, Shenandoah County Sheriff Timothy Carter released a video statement with more details about Cline’s abduction.
CARTER: We do believe that the victim used a firearm to defend herself in the original break-in to her property. … Shenandoah County has recovered that firearm.
Tony Williams, who runs the Rockingham County FIRST ALERT page on Facebook, reported on the chase in real time. According to his report, Markley fled from Harrisonburg on back roads through the Linville area for about 10 miles, at times cutting through fields and exceeding speeds of 90 miles per hour. After returning to Route 42, traveling north in the southbound lane, and running off the road and flipping the vehicle, he took off on foot in a cornfield. Rockingham County Sheriff's deputies caught him shortly after.
For WMRA News, I'm Randi B. Hagi.