Dollar General Abduction: The Prosecution of Charles Smith

0:06 Welcome to Unspeakable, a true crime podcast where I tell stories of real crimes with real victims, whose cases are so shocking that many are left wondering, how is this even real? I use my experiences in law enforcement, corrections, and combined with my years as a criminal justice educator, dig deep into complex cases of evil acts, some so evil, many feel they are unspeakable. Warning, Unspeakable is intended for mature audiences. If you are easily offended, then I'm not your girl. Listening discretion is advised. Hey y'all, KJ here back with another episode of Unspeakable. How is your week going?

1:02 I'm super excited about this episode today because it's actually going to open the doors to the future weeks that are coming up and what I plan on covering for y'all so long as everything pans out. But the case I'm covering today happened just about 10 miles south down the road from where I'm sitting right now. But it's also one that's very important because it kind of got the ball rolling and shaped the way that Louisiana is dealing with certain classes of offenders, which I'm sure you will appreciate as this one unfolds. But everything you're about to learn is all thanks to the hard work of my local sheriff's office, Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office. We also have other agencies involved here. We've got St. Helena and and other ones, but it's also gonna be one that you can tell that a solid case was built for a deserving victim. But also within this one, I really like the fact that I can show you what a no-nonsense prosecutor is about, one that is not playing around.

2:09 And actually, believe it or not, this prosecutor in this case is currently, as I'm recording this, running for district attorney locally. So what I find in this one is that the result is kind of a breath of fresh air insofar as predators being held accountable to the maximum extent of the law. And so I am bringing you this case as a testament to what all prosecutor Brad Cascio brings to the table and why this man has my utmost respect. Now, the names in this case, I want to start out and be very clear. The names in this case will be changed. as to protect their identities due to the nature of events. And I'm sure everyone listening can completely appreciate that. All of the other details are accurate and real, just the names have been changed and you will see why. But come with me right here to my neck of the woods to Livingston Parish, Louisiana.

3:01 And this week, as I open this case up, I want you to imagine yourself going about your daily life when it gets turned upside down absolutely in the blink of an eye. And we hear that as just kind of a cliche term, not kidding on this one, because it was a busy day of getting things done for 27 year old Amy, who is simply running errands with her precious two year old daughter, Layla. And isn't two just the best age for a little one because they're able to walk and talk, but they're still just a baby, right? And And they're still very much attached to their mommy. And no one realizes how much fun it truly is to have a two-year-old bestie, I guess, until it happens to you. You give birth and they grow up so fast.

3:49 And then add to that, that this child looks just like you and acts just like you. You literally grew your own best friend. And that is what is happening in this case at this moment. Amy thought of little Layla in exactly the way that I just described this to you. She was her pride and joy, her ride or die, and the absolute best shopping partner when frequenting the, frequenting? I just said that word so ridiculous. Let's try that again. When frequenting the beloved establishment of the Dollar General. I like the Dollar General. Matter of fact, my own grandmother, every time we would pass it, she would say, Kelly, put your hand over your heart. We're passing the Dollar General because she loved it too. Because this is a place where everyone, can feel rich. You can also pick up the basic needs of your house without having to go to Walmart, where Lord knows everyone in town is going to see you. That's how it is here locally.

4:41 If I walk in Walmart, I see 5,000 people that I know. And it's never a quick trip. It takes forever. And I love seeing people. I love seeing my friends. But sometimes you just want to scoot in and you want to scoot out. So this was the plan for Amy and Layla when they turned into the parking lot of that Dollar General on Highway 16. And for my locals, this is going to be towards Watson. So Amy pulled up and she parked before getting out. She opened the door to the passenger side back seat and leaned in to unbuckle her little Layla from the car seat. And man, was she getting big. Amy threw her baby girl on her hip and she dropped her keys into her purse before she entered into the store. And they started moseying up and down the aisles, grabbing what was needed. And truth be told, probably grabbing a little bit of what wasn't needed. But guys, it's the Dollar General. Everyone can get what they want there. So at the checkout, the cashier was friendly and they exchanged how-do-you-dos as the items were scanned and they were bagged in those really well-known yellow plastic bags we've all seen. And this dollar store was right near Weiss Road for my locals who were curious and really trying to play out where this is going on in their minds. So Amy swiped her card, she paid for her items, and then she was given a receipt for all of their goodies. And then the two of them headed to the front doors and out into that parking lot. Now, Amy opened up the back.

6:02 She put little Layla in, buckled her in, just smiling at her little sweet face as she finished getting her all clicked in. And then she stood back up. Well, as she was walking around the back of her car, she noticed that someone was sitting on the curb near one of those yellow posts that are there to block the cars from accidentally driving through the building if they accidentally press the accelerator or whatever. So as she was rounding the back of her car, she was able to tell that this was a male he had on a hoodie and that hoodie was pulled up over his head, but he was just kind of sitting there on the curb. Now, it was just mere seconds that this is happening, but she thought about the fact that she was pretty uncomfortable sitting with this man's proximity to her car and why someone would choose to be right there out of everywhere that they could be in the parking lot. So she decided it was just best to get in the car and lock the door as quickly as possible. Now, like I said, Layla was already in her car seat. So it would have taken longer to go back and unbuckle Layla because she's feeling uncomfortable, but it would just taken more time and more attention to go back, unbuckle her.

7:09 Plus she would have to pass right by the man to go, back inside for safety reasons. It didn't make sense to do all of that. So Amy quickly made it around the back of her car and she popped open her driver's side door, sliding into her seat. And when she reached out to grab the door and start shutting it, she realized that the man was right there on top of her and he ripped that door right back out of her hand. Now, as you can imagine, she was shocked and she was horrified when she looked up and locked eyes with the now standing hooded man blocking her door from shutting and he leaned down into her face. It was something that she had never felt before that took place next, but she knew exactly what it was, even though she had never experienced this before.

7:56 The unknown man had shoved something right into her ribs, and that cold metal was pinching her skin. And we all know what I'm talking about. This was a gun. He rammed it right into her stomach, right into the side of her ribs. And he was right on top of her, too. He was so close to Amy that she could feel his hot breath when he sneered at her, scoot the fuck over or I will hurt you. So even if you've never had a gun jammed into your side, you would not have to look down to see what it was, nor would you have even questioned if this man was joking in the way that he said what he said. And realizing what was happening, Amy looked up quickly and she started scanning the parking lot to see if there was just anybody there that could help her.

8:42 Was anybody seeing this? Oh, my God, please look, somebody. But it was empty. There was nobody there to see this. And the man yelled at her again, repeating his demand, which jarred her back to the reality of what was going on. So without hesitation, she did as told. She didn't get out of the car. She climbed over the center console because she was not even willing to get out to leave Layla alone in an attempt to get away. She did exactly what she was told. And as she climbed over that center console, she could tell that Layla's little eyes were watching her. And although just a baby, She knew exactly what was happening and that it was scary. She knew that she did not like what she was seeing.

9:23 But Amy, not wanting to scare her, did exactly what she was told, climbed over that console and got into the passenger side floorboard because he pointed and said, get down there. Do it now. So she did exactly what he said, got down on that floorboard, and as soon as she was able to squeeze down, her attacker was in that driver's seat, the door shut, and he took off just like that in an instant with his two captives inside. So as the car pulled out and it got onto the highway, Amy realized that she had no clue where she was being taken, and she also didn't know why she was being taken or what the man was going to do to her until he piped up saying, look, I've been shot and I'm needing a ride. So he was saying he was, I guess, stealing the car because he just needed to get to the hospital maybe. But if he only needed a ride, she couldn't understand why didn't he just call someone? Why didn't you call 911?

10:19 Her thoughts are just racing as she's trying to maybe think her way out of this. And the thing is that she had never seen this man before in her entire life. That said, she didn't know him and she did not have any idea of what this guy was capable of. So terrified, she kept her head down, And she kept it tucked down as the kidnapper barked at her, keep your head down. So her mind continued to race as to the thought of why did he choose me? Why did he take us? And she just tried to make this make sense and to understand it. But there was no understanding because he continued to drive while also whipping out his phone and dialing numbers on his cell phone.

11:01 He was calling people. What in the world would he need to be calling people for? But she couldn't make out what the conversation was about or really what he was doing. So as the car is barreling down the road with a complete stranger going to God knows where, there was only one thing Amy knew for certain in that moment. And that was that escape was not an option. She would die before she would ever let Layla be alone in that car. We say that people are our ride or die. We say that. I say it about people. But in this case, let it not be lost on you that this is real. Amy would do whatever she had to do so long as she knew her baby was safe. Amy had no way of knowing that in this time of travel, her car had now entered into another parish. And yes, Louisiana has parishes, not counties. And in this case, her car had now made it into St.

12:04 Helena Parish, which is a neighboring parish. And this in and of itself is somewhat scary, y'all, because as St. Helena becomes much more rural, there is a lot of farmland, there's cattle grazing, and people are more spread out. The hustle and the bustle of the city wasn't out this way. And what's more scary in that regard is that there are plenty of places to dispose of someone if necessary. And considering she didn't even know why she was in this car with this man, anything and everything became a possibility. So Amy gathered her courage to ask her abductor, where are you taking me? While at the same time, she was trying to console little Layla in the back who was just coming unglued. The baby couldn't understand this. She may have only been two years old, okay, and not fully understood it, but she knew her mama and she knew she could tell that her mama was terrified. She could hear it in her mama's voice, the pitch and that higher strain sound that came out versus her mommy's normal calm and collected demeanor. It was now alarmed. It was raised. And Layla was picking up on all of this, beginning to cry. All Amy could do, it's okay, my love.

13:21 Mommy is right here. We're okay, my baby girl. It's all right. Mama's right here. Meanwhile, the voice that's coming out is shaking, and it's absolutely overcome with fear. The words were coming out, but the believability of them, that was questionable, even to the baby. This was horrendous. Layla didn't calm down either. Instead, she erupted into panic. Mama, mama, the inability for Amy to cradle her in her arms was soul crushing. Amy couldn't hold it in. And in that moment, she busted out into a sob, just so desperate, just so scared and really not prepared. Who prepares for this?

14:02 Who thinks about what they would do if this ever were to happen to them? Because this doesn't happen to me personally. This happens to other people. This is a headline in a news story or a movie. This does not happen in real life. But this was happening. And her fear was warranted, though, because in this instance, the abductor wasn't actually trying to save himself from a gunshot. He hadn't even been shot. It was all a lie. He had very specific intentions for choosing this young mother and daughter duo. Amy felt the car turning slightly as they continued to drive. And then it came to a stop at a gas station. The man put the car in park and then he started barking some very clear orders to Amy. Get out and go buy me some condoms now. Those words, those words were enough to make her want to vomit. Okay, Amy hears them. And she just falls apart and goes into an all-out meltdown. The meltdown is just intense. She's losing control. It was so loud and she was panicked so greatly that the captor himself started to go, holy shit. And he threw the car in reverse and he backed out and he decided to abandon the gas station altogether, peeling out and getting back on the road. And that's when he started yelling at her, you better calm the fuck down. And his words were more of a threat than anything. He wasn't saying just calm down. He said, you better calm the

15:34 fuck down. This means that there was a punishment to be applied if she did not. So Amy tried to catch her breath. This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening. She's trying to breathe. And she was able to collect herself enough that he now felt good enough to pull back into another parking lot. But her head had been down again. the gravel popping underneath the tires until the car came to a stop once again. And this time they were at a grocery store. Get out now and go buy me the condoms and pick me up a pack of cigarettes too. I want the cools, the ones with the green pack. So Amy hears these words and she didn't want to go willingly go get these condoms, knowing exactly what that was going to mean for her.

16:20 She was still crumbled on the floorboard of her own car and she felt frozen, absolutely frozen with fear. That's when her captor said, get out now. And if you don't, your baby's going to get hurt. Get out of the car. So Amy crawled up onto the seat, looking back at her daughter briefly, who remained strapped in and helpless. Big tears in that baby's eyes and that bottom lip just pouting. It's drawn up and it's poking out. One of the most pitiful things you've ever seen in your life. And Amy decided that just getting out of this car was unthinkable. I'm not going to get out without my baby. But making the most heart-wrenching choice of her entire life to date.

17:06 She reached out and she popped open that car door, hot tears rolling down her face as her baby girl stared back at her, wide-eyed that her mommy was getting out of this car and leaving her. Layla wouldn't understand. Why was mama leaving me with this stranger? But there was no time for her to explain it to her or to comfort her child. And she steps out of the car. What if he drives off? What if I walk away and he hurts her? How do I make this decision? But go now. That was the demand put out at her. So she looks back at this man is staring intensely at her. And Amy was still on the receiving end of that gun. This was not a negotiation.

17:51 So shaking and devastated, She shut the door, but as that door was shutting, he said one more thing to her. You better not make a peep to anyone or even talk to anyone or I will take off with your baby. That is a direct quote, by the way. No, please, please don't. I won't. I won't talk to anyone, she said as she shut the door and she walked towards the entrance of the store. The doors opened and she did make her way inside. people in the store, and yet Amy's all alone. Of course she wanted to scream out, but what would that mean for Layla? It seems obvious that you need to tell somebody, but she couldn't risk it.

18:34 She wouldn't risk it. Wherever that car was going, Amy was going with it so long as her child was inside. Be damned what that meant for her. She was getting back in that car. Amy steadied herself. She took a big breath. Okay, Here I go. And she started scouring the aisles, finding what she had been sent in for. Condoms. Nothing in life prepares you for a moment such as this. Purchasing an item only used for sex. You know it, I know it, and Amy knew it. And all of this was being done at the demand of a man who she would have never willingly touched, not even with a 10-foot pole. This man would have never even been on her radar. The thought of being intimate with the animal waiting outside, currently holding her precious baby at gunpoint, it was almost unbearable. But a mama does what a mama has to do. And the thought of risking her baby or of losing her was motivation enough in this moment to do whatever was required of her. And it had to keep her baby safe, whatever that meant. So at the checkout, she put down the condoms and she asked for a pack of cools, her eyes darting out of the window to make sure that the car was still out there, her captor waiting for her. Thank God it was still there. So she paid for the cigarettes

20:04 and the condoms, grabbing the receipt from the cashier who quipped, have a good one. She thought if you only knew, if you only knew. And Amy quickly went outside. She returned to the car, gave these items to her abductor who directed her back down to where she should have been. He pointed, he said, get in the seat, keep your head down and do not look back up. And she did exactly what she was told, keeping her head down between her knees. And the car took off again. There would be more driving. Sitting in this car with this man she did not know until the vehicle would finally make its way towards a wooded area and then come to a stop. And that's when this man snapped at Amy to get out of the car and you leave that baby. As he said this, he also opened his door.

20:57 The emotion in this moment was twofold. She was thankful that he was getting out of the car and away from Layla, but downright horrified that he was now approaching her in the front of the car. And the man brought two things with him as he did this. That gun that she had been threatened with the entire time and the box of condoms. The whole box. So looking up at her surroundings, she had no clue where she was, no idea at all. All she could see was there was a red brick building in front of her, and there was a cemetery right next to it. Now, Layla was still upset. She's in the back seat, strapped in, and she's stretching the best she can, her little neck up and kind of moving, trying her hardest from that little car seat to keep her eyes on her mommy and to see what is happening. As long as she could see her mama, she felt safe. because mommy was her everything. Mama was her best friend, her safety, and her comfort. And if she could see her, she felt okay.

22:09 She continued to follow her mama with her eyes from that car. And unfortunately, she would watch as Amy was pointed to the side of the building at gunpoint. But Amy did exactly what she was told. Her attacker then instructed her to turn around And I want you to put your hands up on this wall. You face this wall. Do not move and keep your hands above your head, flat on the wall. So she did this. Her palms pushing up against the side of the brick and not moving. Much like I would guess it feels like to stand in front of a train, not moving, knowing the entire time that it's barreling towards you and you are going to lose. Amy remained still, staring at that wall as the man grabbed a hold of her pants and ripped them down to her ankles, where he then grabbed her panties and he did the same. It only took him a moment to apply the condom to himself before she felt this complete stranger, a disgusting, smelly, dirty, no good son of a bitch, began to violate her from behind, and there was nothing she could do about it. I don't know what the words are, what words as a podcaster I use right now to express how humiliating this was.

23:45 She's in the public, her daughter is watching, and a man that she wanted nothing to do with was engaging in the most intimate, the most intimate thing you can think of with her. She hated him. He was hurting her and she wanted it to stop. But she was just too scared to vocalize the words. All she could do was cry. All she could do was cry with her hands above her head against the wall as a complete stranger pleasured himself using her as one of his tools in the process. And I want you to know something.

24:26 Amy was an honorable woman. She came from what we say is good people. She was a good person. And this act out in the open in front of her baby was nothing that she would have ever been a part of. But when someone takes away your power and then they take away your voice, It thrusts you into a situation such as this, okay? Disbelief and numbness, they start to take over. It's sort of a disassociation process to deal with the absolute trauma that you are in the throes of. Being trapped and violated and reduced to nothing more than a sex object isn't something that I think that I can adequately describe to someone because words are not enough. Rape to me, the word rape is such a small word in comparison to all that it truly represents. And I'm sure you can probably tell right now, but just thinking about it, and it's happening to another woman.

25:30 It's not even happening to me, but just thinking about it builds a vision in my mind that is followed by a burning in my gut. It's a burning that makes me see red. I don't have to be the victim to see red. that this man would do this to this woman. No apology will ever undo an act like this. No jail time will ever rectify the damage being done to Amy as I am explaining this to you. There is no true justice, quote unquote, after a rape either because the rapist already got what they wanted. And that is something that a woman can never get back. Now, I'm talking about a woman victim here because obviously this is a woman in this story. I'm not discounting the many male victims there are in the world today. Please don't take it that way. But unfortunately now, Amy was part of a club that no one wants membership to.

26:32 She joined the other 1,007 people who reported that they were raped in 2015 in Louisiana. This case alone that I'm telling you about is scary enough. But now add to that, now add to what I'm explaining to you that over a thousand people faced a similar fate. It is disgusting. It is a disgusting fact to even give you from my home state. But that said, the rapist was now done with her. He had satisfied himself fully and completely when he decided to just push her away from him. Get away from me. He then pulled the condom off and threw it in the grass before he pulled his pants up and got him situated. Amy couldn't pull hers up fast enough. And in some small win, very small, microscopic even, but it's still a win. Thank God that he did use protection during this rape. But don't for one second think, that that had anything to do with decency or protection of Amy. No, no, no, no, no, no.

27:47 That had to do with protecting himself by not leaving any DNA in his victim. It was nowhere near a decent move. He then tossed the remaining box of condoms on the ground near the building and then snapped at Amy to get back in the car. She again complied, but at this moment, She's mainly in shock. She's in shock. Her body was going through the motions. Her feet were moving. She was opening the car door, but her mind might as well be out of this universe because it was off in a different land. And as she opened the door, again, regardless of what she had just been through, she comforted Layla and she told her sweet nothings, sweet nothings that meant everything to her baby. Mama's okay. Mama's okay. It's okay.

28:41 Her captor then got in the vehicle and again, they were off driving. My God, what is he going to do with us? I've given him everything I have, but he's just not letting us go. What are you going to do with me now? And he says, put your head back down. The same instructions once again. And she did as told again. At this point, Any wrong move was literally life or death because he had already stolen her. He had already used her for his sexual gratification. What else is there? And I think we all know where this case is now headed. Wondering if Jesus would be her next destination, both she and Layla being driven to their doom. His white robe, and his loving embrace comes to mind, but also... of that is about to come to a screeching halt when the color blue is gonna enter the equation. And I'm not sure, I'm gonna tell you right now, I am not sure what it will look like when I meet my Lord and Savior one day, but I damn sure know that Amy's not going to and what her saving grace is going to look like in this story. And in this case, it looks like blue flashing lights. Because Amy looked up in this moment

30:12 because her captor noticeably became very panicked. And when she glanced over into the side view mirror, there stood a vision most of us cringe when we see. But at this moment, all Amy saw was an angel sent from God. You never know what your guardian angel may look like, but for Amy, it was a good old country boy who loved to hunt, who took pride in his family, and he also believed in protecting and serving. His name was Deputy Smith, and he happened to be on patrol when he spotted Amy's white PT cruiser speeding at a high rate of speed down Highway 16, now just about midnight.

30:58 And Deputy Smith said, He was a man's man. This guy had served his country in the military, and when he had returned home from his tour in Kuwait, he continued serving his community by becoming a law enforcement deputy. If ever a man were to unknowingly begin to pull over a vehicle with a kidnapping and rape victim inside, I'd say this is a pretty dang good choice for a guardian angel. So Deputy Smith and his partner, Jeremy, they had just left their police station literally less than five minutes before he lay eye on this car that was speeding. Jeremy went one way and he had gone the other just to go out and finish doing some patrolling on their shift. And within five minutes after leaving the station, that's when Deputy Smith put his eyes on this speeding PT cruiser. But it was coming towards him, traveling in the opposite direction. But the deputy could tell that it was going way, way too fast. So he pulled out his radar and he shot it towards the cruiser.

32:07 And he caught this driver going about 75. And this was a posted 55, well over the speed limit. So he did what deputies do. He pulled over to the shoulder and he waited until that car got closer to him, expecting to just turn around on the roadway and then pull him over. So the car approached him and he flipped on his blue lights. But in this case, that PT cruiser sped up, flooring it so fast past that deputy once the lights came on that the deputy Smith could see the front end of that cruiser pick up as the speed was increasing. And when he saw that car lift up and that speed increasing, he was like, okay, here we go, boys. And he flipped his police unit around, his tires squealing, he turned around so fast. And then he gassed it trying to catch up with the PT cruiser that had just sped past his police cruiser. He accelerated his police unit right up on that vehicle's bumper.

33:06 And he also at this point had turned on his siren. He's like, come on, dude, pull over. It's just a freaking ticket. Why are we doing this ridiculously dangerous speed? Completely, completely unaware of what he had actually just stumbled upon. And as the chase ensued, he was radioing it in, telling dispatch that he was giving chase. And this is procedure, but as he's chasing, he would periodically update the dispatcher on his speeds. Dispatch, we advise we're now hitting 85 miles per hour. Dispatch, now over 100. Dispatch, 100. were marking 110 miles per hour. Both vehicles were barreling down the road and a crash at this pace would be deadly for everyone that was involved. And inside of the car as this is going on, there was a new drama all of its own because Amy is now screaming, pleading with her captor, please don't kill me. Please don't kill my baby. Please just slow down. Slow the vehicle down. Now, the good news, if you will, was that the speeding vehicle was now heading towards Jeremy. OK, Deputy Jeremy, this is Smith's partner. So Deputy Smith jumped on his radio and he said. be ready, get ready, Jeremy. I got a car coming your way because guys, let me tell you something good, bad, or ugly. You may be able to outrun man, but you will never outrun the radio.

34:34 They will get you up ahead and dispatch. They were doing their thing to coordinating their resources on their end and to try to get the Calvary en route to stop this car that was speeding down the road. They had actually dispatched in and called LPSO, the local Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, and had them dispatch their deputies en route. We got a high speed chase, boys, and it's heading your way. So we've got the boys in blue chasing this car. And then we've got the boys in light blue, as I like to call it, because the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office color is a little lighter blue. They got their lights on and they've spun around and they're heading that way as well because they were going to intercept this vehicle at the parish line. You want to fight? Well, now you got one because all of these guys are not playing with whoever was driving that PT cruiser. So as they chase and this chase is ensuing, they started to coordinate their attack and At the moment, speeding was the only real crime, I guess you would say, but a crash, an anticipated crash could happen very soon because the PT cruiser was flying up in an area where there was a busy truck stop. no matter what time it was, and they were very concerned that this PT cruiser would slam into somebody pulling out and kill everybody.

35:54 So their plan was simple. Deputy Smith gassed it as fast as he could because he wanted to take lead. He wanted to get in front of the speeding vehicle because he had his lights going, he had his sirens going, and that would hopefully alert any upcoming traffic to get out of the way or to wait. So he actually passed the speeding car and then he cut in front of it. His partner Jeremy was there and he pulled in tight behind the speeding vehicle and effectively they now had boxed the car in. Now they're not slowing down though. Neither is the PT Cruiser but they've got him boxed in. So at this point the suspect driving the car and as you know but the deputies don't also with Amy and baby Layla inside they are I mean, flying down this road, and he tries to ram the back of Deputy Smith's police unit. But Deputy Smith was able, watching in his rearview mirror, think about how crazy this is.

36:49 He was able to avoid that crash and still maintain the front position on this car. Now, inside... You know, that car, Amy and the baby and her captor are well over 100 miles an hour. Amy is continuing to scream and plead for the man, just pull over. Please pull over. But all he could do was scream for her to shut up. Shut up. The trees and the lights, they're whizzing past the car windows and the intensity of the sirens that were screaming combined with the speed as well as everything else that's already gone on. It was just simply overwhelming for a woman and a baby who didn't know anything about about criminal life such as this. It was absolutely their proverbial first rodeo and guys, they wanted off the ride. They couldn't do much more. But as the man had his foot fully to the floor on the gas pedal and was attempting to ram police units trying to get away, he then started yelling out commands at Amy. And that command was, give me your license. What? What?

37:52 My license? Like my driver's license? Yes, now. Give me your license now. So Amy starts scrambling, grab her purse, find her wallet, get her license out. Layla's squalling. Sirens are continuing to wail. They're flying down the road. And when she got it, she put it out, her hands shaking, trying to hand this man her license. Why does he need my license? And he snatched it out of her hand and that's when he told her, I got your license now. So if you say anything to anyone or you tell anybody about anything that we've done, I'll have you killed. I know where you live now. This nightmare, I don't think, could get any worse. But that's when the man driving locked up the brakes and slammed them on this car at breakneck speed. Amy's seatbelt locked, little Layla's chest straps just tight. She flew forward into those straps and thank God they grabbed her and the restraints held her into the car seats. All the items that she had bought at the Dollar General when this all began, those all flew forward, hitting the ground. Now, Deputy Smith, he was still in the lead trying to keep this guy from crashing into anyone. And as he's watching in his mirror, he sees that vehicle behind him just slow down.

39:08 The headlights quickly cut across the road over towards the shoulder and flew to a stop. So Deputy Smith slams on his brakes and quickly flips a bitch in his car and is trying to get back to the vehicle. So as He's speeding now back towards the vehicle. He could see in this moment that his partner, Jeremy, already was outside of his police unit. He had his gun drawn. He's drawn down on that vehicle and he is yelling commands out at the people or the occupants that were still inside of the vehicle. Let me see your hands. Let me see your hands. But there was a woman in the car and Deputy Smith is watching. She's got her door open. Her hands are out. They're kind of shaking and waving up in the air. And she is just screaming. She is going crazy. Now, the driver of that vehicle, he had already bailed out. He threw that door open and he took off running. But the occupants that were still inside of the vehicle, they were unknown to the officers at this point. Don't forget that. In all of the time that this has been going on, no one knew about the kidnapping. Nobody. For all the cops knew, right in that moment, she was a suspect too.

40:19 They might have been running away from a crime they committed together. Who knows? Maybe they have warrants. The cops have no idea of knowing what is happening. So Deputy Smith pulls his unit up and he goes and he jumps out of his car. Now, I want to time out real fast and I want to give you maybe a hair of comedic relief, but a quick little side quest to the story. You might appreciate this. Deputy Smith in this moment had a brand new canine with him. Now, this was a narcotics dog, not an apprehension or a tracking or chase dog. Also, the dog that was with him was a big old chunky bulldog named Bubba. And y'all, this was Bubba's first ride along. He wasn't in a cage.

41:05 He wasn't set up yet to be an actual police dog doing police things like we would think. So when Deputy Smith jumped out of the car, Bubba's big old butt jumped out too. But what was Bubba going to do? Bubba's a drug dog. Bubba doesn't need to be in this situation. So Deputy Smith has to grab him. Wrong crime, buddy. Wrong crime. Get your big ass back in the car. He's trying to sling Bubba back in the car. Bubba does jump back in. Good boy. Good boy. He did what he was told. But now back to the drama that's occurring in front of us. So Deputy Smith is now closing in and approaching the vehicle. And he's looking at this woman who was screaming. He can tell that she's in absolute hysterics. Jeremy is still yelling his commands.

41:47 The woman's hands are still up. But Deputy Smith is now noticing this baby in the backseat. And y'all, he was a daddy, too. Something about what he was seeing just wasn't—there was something way wrong about this. And both deputies were now close enough that they could hear what the woman was saying, what she was screaming to them, because it had been hard to make out. And she was screaming, I've been kidnapped. I've been raped. Y'all, her hands still up. Her hands still up in the air screaming, but she is becoming more— and more hysterical with each passing second. It's like a relief reaction where she's now just completely losing it because her saviors are there, but they don't know what they're on yet. And so as they hear this, they still have guns drawn, but they're saying, calm down, calm down. We are here to help. Please just follow our commands. We're gonna keep you safe. Just follow our commands. And as they approached up on the vehicle, she started saying, I was at Watson. I was at Watson.

42:42 I was kidnapped from Watson. That's the area, guys, if you're not from here. But that wasn't making sense to these deputies. Because what do you mean you were in Watson? You're now over here, right? And so he looks down and she's like, I was buying things at the store. So Deputy Smith looks down and he sees the bag from the Dollar General. He opens it and grabs the receipt. And sure enough, those items had been purchased from Watson, the Watson location. So that's when they realized that the man who had jumped out and bailed taken off running into the woods, he was now absolutely a kidnapping rapist. And he was gone. He was on the run and he had made it into those nearby woods. Now, this is obviously very dangerous for everyone in the area. No telling what this guy is gonna do. And she said he had a gun, so he's armed. Well, the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office arrived. They got there very quickly and they had their canines and they were out in those woods.

43:38 They were tracking, trying to find this man. And they searched into the early morning hours and they were hot on his trail. These dogs were getting it. And this was evidenced by a piece of clothing that this man had discarded while he was running. But ultimately, his trail was lost on the other side of the woods. So all that police knew at this point was that there had been a rape, a kidnapping, a high-speed chase. But their suspect, all they knew was this was a black male. likely in his late 20s, early 30s. Guys, that's everybody.

44:18 You know, that could be anybody. And finding him, as you can imagine, would be extremely difficult. But this is where good people come into play. People who choose to not just sit back and mind their business. People that know right from wrong. And even under the constraints of the criminal world, maybe they live somewhere that they can't speak freely because they feel like maybe they're under threat of the criminals. Somebody, though, somebody didn't mind their business. Because later that morning, right? So it's been past midnight.

44:58 They've been doing all this. It's now the early morning hours of that next day. Deputy Smith was called in to meet with his sheriff. They met back on this road and where they met up, when he pulls in, the SRT team, the special response team, they were already set up. They were in gear. I mean, like they were ready to go. And what had happened was someone called in a tip and told law enforcement, I think the guy that you're looking for might be over here in our little trailer park. Okay. Okay. Now, here's the kicker here, and I just want to give somebody their credit in this one. That trailer park was a family trailer park. And from what I understand, it was his family that lived in this trailer park. That's big. Now, the microscopic details of how all that works out, I don't have those for you, but just know that this tip was called in, and whoever that was, you deserve a legitimate pat on the back. So the SR team was set up near this trailer park, and their attack plan was simple. They already had chase dogs hidden out in the woods with handlers. So if this guy took off running and he was up in that trailer park, they were already on his ass. He was not going to get very far. And so what they did was they hit the trailer park from the front, and they started doing all of their searching. But they could not find him. They couldn't locate this guy. But they really

46:30 felt like this was a solid location. legitimate tip that they had received. So Deputy Smith is there and he's trying to find this guy. And he notices that there's some old men kind of standing over by a fire in the trailer park. And he walks over there and he's just making small talk with them, kind of talking it up. And that's when the men, they did not directly say this to him. But they kind of nodded, kind of tilted their head a little bit, pointed in a direction over there and said, maybe you ought to go check them cars over there. but they didn't directly say it, but they kind of expressed it to him. So he does, as these men in the trailer park said that he should do. He walks over there, he's looking through, there's broken down cars and junker cars and all that over there. And that's when he comes upon a Mustang that's over off to the side of a driveway.

47:20 And when he looks in through the front window, there he sees a guy balled up. He's all curled up and balled up in a driver's side seat laying over with a camo jacket on. He popped that gun out of that holster so fast, drew down on that man and said, let me see your hands. Let me see your hands. And he had no choice. The man sat up, got out of the car, and he gave Deputy Smith those hands. And I'm talking right behind his back where he got those cuffs put on and Deputy Smith got his man. Amy and Layla by this point They had been to the hospital. They had been checked out. A rape test kit was done. It was completed on her, which I won't go into all the minutiae on this, but I want you to know it is very invasive, especially for someone who's just been sexually traumatized and that nature, but it's a necessary evil that has to be done.

48:12 But remember, her rapist wore a condom. That would mean there's no internal DNA expected. Of utmost importance became finding evidence that used condom because that would be an incredible piece of evidence. But Amy had no idea where she had been raped. No clue. And we had this parish guys and surrounding parishes. We got rivers and waterways and swamps and woods and we got all that. This could have been anywhere. Her head was down the whole time or she was on the floorboard. She could not even begin to give a suggestion of where it had taken place.

48:54 So police decided that they would have to get really primitive with this investigation. And they took the time to put Amy in a unit, a police unit. And for two weeks straight, deputies searched the parish for a parking lot of a red brick building with a cemetery nearby. Now, baby, we are in South Louisiana. We are in the Bible Belt. Everywhere there are parking lots, churches, and cemeteries. This is not something that's very easily done, but Amy was up for the task, riding around and finding the building, possibly next to a cemetery, and hopefully they could recover the used condom that this guy had thrown and the DNA could be recovered. So they drive around and you will not believe this, but they eventually took her to a location of a parking lot with a red brick building and a cemetery nearby when her face sprung up. This is it. This is where I was raped. This is where I was raped. So they get out. They walk straight over to where she said what had happened happened.

50:11 And right there on the ground was a used condom and a box of condoms that had been thrown out. We got you, you little bitch. Just wait and see. The police were ready to for this man to face the music. Because by now, the police had interviewed the man that they had taken into custody and they identified him as Charles Smith. And upon initial interview, he denied knowing Amy at all. He had never been in her car. He had never touched anybody. And he was just appalled that he was being accused of such a thing. But after that condom and that box, those were recovered immediately.

50:54 I got DNA back. And guess what the DNA showed? Amy's DNA was on the outside of the condom, and little Mr. Charles Smith's was right there deposited on the inside. Hmm. Doesn't take a rocket scientist, Charles. Maybe you have some explaining to do now. And that's when his account of the ordeal changed. I know, you're shocked, right? He now admitted that they actually did know one another. He and Amy knew one another, and she had asked him. She had asked him to help drive her to some locations while she was tending to her baby, and because he was just so romantic and handsome and good, um, Amy just took a liking to him. And that's when they decided to randomly pull off on the side of the road and have sex on the side of a building.

51:52 It wasn't a rape. This was consensual. Okay. Obviously we're calling bullshit here. How dare you even say this? And the police are like, all right, whatever, dude, cool story. But you are being charged with rape and kidnapping my guy. Good luck in court. You've been given a chance to tell the truth. You don't want to. And, um, Case closed, right? Door slammed shut. You're going to trial, my guy. Good luck with all of that. Well, this is where district attorney or assistant district attorney Brad Cascio would be inserted into this case. Now, Brad, I want to tell you about him. He is a no-nonsense, tough-on-crime prosecutor who has zero tolerance for abusers of others, especially sex offenders such as this. And after reading the case and the details, he was up for the fight. So when you're preparing for a case, just so you know, it's standard practice that witnesses are going to be prepared for what will happen in trial. I don't mean telling witnesses what to say, but the cops are going to talk with the district attorney and the prosecutors to say, okay, what are we going to be testifying to, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Well, when Deputy Smith was called in to talk with Prosecutor Cascio about the case, he I got to tell you, a lot of prosecutors are pretty good with working plea deals with the suspects or the accused because it secures a conviction. There is a time and place for a

53:23 plea deal. I'm not saying that they're all bad, but it's very frustrating for victims to And also the police who get hurt and work really hard in these cases for a plea deal to be offered. But it's so common that when Deputy Smith got to talking with Brad Cascio, he just kind of bluntly threw out there, OK, so what deal are you offering this guy? And Brad, his head popped up and he looked at Deputy Smith like he had 20 heads on his shoulders. He said, what? What do you what do you mean? I'm not offering this guy a damn thing. He did this and he's going to face the full consequences of the law. No deal.

54:06 No way. Not on my watch. Because behind the scenes, even if this wasn't the case, what I'm about to tell you, I still he would have he still would have said the same thing. But behind the scenes, Brad's own wife and daughter were of the same age and likeness. victims in this case. And whenever he was reading about these victims, he saw his own beloved and his own baby in Amy and Layla's eyes. And he was going to fight for these two just as he would if they were his own. That's his job. He took this job for that reason. If not him, then who? So when Charles Smith realized that prosecutors, Brad Cascio, wasn't your average one and wasn't willing to play let's make a deal with rape and kidnapping, he was pissed. Because what do you mean? What's the deal? Throw me a deal.

55:03 You ain't getting one, Padna. We're not offering anything to you. What he was now facing meant that life in prison is what he was up against. That's right. Because if he did this to one man's beloved and child, what would stop him from doing it to any of us? To Brad's own wife? To my husband's wife? To your wife? What would stop him? And the answer is nothing. Brad Cascio is what was going to stop him. And all of this founded on an excellent case built in the combination of multiple police agencies. No deal, Padna. Face down.

55:45 the music. So when the trial finally comes about, magically, Charles Smith's story changed again and quite dramatically because he now claimed, okay, yes, we knew each other. But he says, when he's confronted with, well, then why did you lie at first? Because only a liar would need to change their story. He goes, oh, no, no, no, no, you misunderstand that. Charles said, the only reason that I lied about knowing her or about having sex with her was because she told me, Amy told me that if anyone found out that we were in a relationship and having sex, her boyfriend would freak out over their illicit affair and he would kill her. So he was saving her. That's why he stood strong and didn't admit that they were in a relationship together. But this debauchery would quickly be upended because There's a few questions here that he couldn't answer, like, so y'all are in an illicit affair, but y'all have never, ever spoken on the phone before this? There's no social media interaction. You've actually never even been in her presence before this case. And then why was she at gunpoint if this was consensual? And why did you walk to the store if you were going to be with Amy?

57:05 Why didn't she just pick you up? Also, Why'd you run from the police? And when you ran, why did you take your illicit affair girlfriend that you're trying to distance yourself from? Why'd you take her license? And then why'd you hide if all of that was consensual? He couldn't answer these questions, guys. And there was also another problem in the story, and that was the dollar general clerk. Because hand over my heart, as my grandmother taught me, the dollar general will not let you down. And that clerk was able to identify Charles as being at the store, and he was not with Amy, even while she shopped. Also, when Amy gets brought back up in this story, She becomes the biggest smoking gun I can give you because they had the DNA, of course, but then they had given her a lineup once they identified Charles and put him in a lineup to see if she could pick him out. And she went straight to him. No questions asked.

58:06 That's the guy that did this to me. And when it came time for Amy's story to be told, she didn't write a letter to the court. She didn't say, I can't get up there and talk about this. It's too scary. I don't want to face him in court. No, no, no. She did not back down. She walked into that courtroom and she testified, chin up, chest out, and she handled her business like a freaking boss, but not only for herself, but for her little Layla. In true mama bear fashion, you may have hurt me, You may have hurt me badly, but honey, you scared my baby and you put my baby in danger and that is unforgivable. And at the conclusion of the trial, Charles Smith was found guilty and prosecutor Brad Cascio kept his word. The maximum penalty was requested and so it was given. Charles Smith will never hurt anyone again because he will be spending the rest of his life behind bars. the man who thought he could terrorize a woman and her child, scaring them into silence, ironically just found himself curled up in a car seat like the scared little dog he was. He didn't have the fight in him like Amy did. He didn't have

59:37 the ability to stand strong in the face of opposition and of scary times like Amy did. He ran away like a scared little bitch. And in the end, He wasn't just taken down by bigger muscles or bigger weapons, although that certainly helped when those guardian angels showed up. But it was a young woman and her baby who put the nails in the coffin of this sorry ass wannabe man. And next week, I want y'all to know I have a little surprise for you. So stay tuned because I'm gonna have a special guest that's joining me in the studio and you can be ready for that. Amy and Layla, though, they didn't just survive him. They both ensured that he would be put exactly where dangerous predators belong, saving countless women from future events that we'll never even know how many women they saved because it'll never happen. And all of that with Brad Cascio leading the charge. And having a dangerous rap behind bars for someone who goes to prison, it matters. Because surviving prison is tough. Your image matters amongst the other felons. Charles Smith was already going into prison as a rapist, which is something no one, no one wants. But most embarrassing, I would argue, is that Charles may have been built like a thug, but he was defeated by someone who

1:01:07 still used a sippy cup. I think little Miss Layla has a bright future ahead of her. Two years old and already putting predators behind bars? Atta girl, little one.