Hit And Run Driving Arrest Leads To Discovery Of Stabbing Victim

Park maintenance employee Skip Barnhouse called the regional communications center on the afternoon of April 4th and reported a motor vehicle accident in Sandy Hook, Maryland, which is across the river from Harpers Ferry. Barnhouse said that a driver, possibly drunk, had hit a parked car and was attempting to leave the scene on two flat tires. The center contacted the Maryland State Police, who advised that a trooper was already en route. Within minutes of Barnhouse’s call, acting chief ranger Ryan Peabody arrived on scene, boxed in the 2001 Mitsubishi sedan against the adjacent railroad right-of-way, and made a felony car stop. The 34-year-old driver, a resident of Knoxville, Maryland, was uncooperative and declined to obey Peabody’s commands. Peabody advised the communications center that he needed assistance, and several park rangers and officers from the Maryland State Police, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and Maryland Department of Natural Resources responded. Meanwhile, Peabody seized an opportune moment to physically pull the driver from the vehicle, fearing that he would injure himself or others by attempting to flee. He was taken to the ground with the assistance of Barnhouse, placed under custody, then turned over to state troopers when they arrived on scene. Blood on the driver’s clothing was inconsistent with the motor vehicle accident, so troopers went to his residence to investigate further. They found a 34-year-old woman with life-threatening stab wounds and an unharmed 22-month-old child inside. The woman was flown by helicopter to the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. The Maryland State Police and NPS are continuing the investigation.