Olney Man Indicted in Wife Kidnapping
A Young County grand jury has indicted an Olney man on multiple felony charges following a violent incident in December in which he allegedly kidnapped and assaulted his wife at gunpoint, threatened to kill her, and forced her into his vehicle before she escaped, authorities said.
Mack Ward Hamrick Jr., 39, was arrested by Olney Police on Dec. 13 and remains in the Young County Jail in lieu of $460,000 bail, according to jail records. He is charged with aggravated assault on a family member, unlawful restraint exposing the victim to serious bodily injury, aggravated kidnapping with a deadly weapon, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon, and assault on a family member by impeding breathing.
Olney Police Chief Dan Birbeck said Mr. Hamrick, who has prior arrests for driving under the influence and domestic violence, subjected his wife to “an all-day ordeal” that escalated into violence. “He pointed a weapon at her multiple times and said he was going to take her to the lake and kill her,” Chief Birbeck said.
According to an affidavit filed by Officer Montana Calcote, Mr. Hamrick confronted his wife inside their home on North Avenue E on Dec. 12, accusing her of infidelity and waving a firearm at her several times. After taking her phone to prevent her from calling for help, Mr. Hamrick forced her into his truck at gunpoint late that night and began driving erratically through town, threatening to kill her, the affidavit said.
As the vehicle neared the Grace Care Center nursing home on Western Avenue, the woman seized an opportunity to escape, the affidavit said. She unbuckled her seatbelt, opened the door, and jumped from the moving truck, running to the nursing home for help, the affidavit said. Staff quickly locked down the facility and called 911.
Mr. Hamrick fled the scene and police later tracked him to his residence, where his mother approached officers to inform them that he was ready to surrender, Chief Birbeck said. Mr. Hamrick was taken into custody without further incident, he said. The following day, police used a K9 team to search for the firearm, ultimately finding it concealed under brush and debris near his home, the affidavit said.
Investigators recovered video footage from inside the couple’s home showing Mr. Hamrick allegedly pointing a handgun at his wife’s head multiple times. Officer Calcote’s affidavits state that Mr. Hamrick disposed of the weapon in an attempt to conceal evidence of the assault and his illegal possession of a firearm, as he was prohibited from owning a gun due to a prior felony conviction.