ROCKWELL — A woman traveling alone on Old Beatty Ford Road encountered a stranger who emerged from the woods and needed a ride.

The female driver was unharmed during the incident, but the stranger is now wanted for kidnapping.

According to Rowan County Sheriff’s Office reports, a man exited the woods near the intersection of Old Beatty Ford Road and Emmanuel Church Road and got the driver of the vehicle to stop.

Reports state that he jumped into her car and told her to “just drive.”

The man was later identified as Paul Nobles of Lexington.

Nobles reportedly told the female driver to stop at the Circle K gas station in Rockwell and drop him off, but when they arrived, he refused to get out of the vehicle.

The driver was on the phone with a boyfriend who said that he was on his way to the location. Hearing that, Nobles exited the vehicle, and the female drove off. Rowan County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate. Warrants were subsequently taken out on Nobles who had not been arrested as of Monday.

 

In Rowan County Sheriff’s reports

• Narcotics were found in the Rowan County Detention Center on July 20.
• A burglary reportedly occurred on North Enochville Avenue in China Grove between midnight on July 13 and 8:30 p.m. on July 19.
• Wire fraud on Sage Way in Salisbury was reported on July 20.
• A larceny reportedly occurred on Peeler Road in Salisbury between on July 21.
• A motor-vehicle theft on Weatherby Drive in Salisbury was reported on July 21.
• An assault on Goodson Road in Salisbury was reported on July 21.
• An assault on Rainey Road in Salisbury was reported on July 21. 
• Vandalism resulting in property damage reportedly occurred on Cannon Farm Road in China Grove around 3:41 a.m. on July 22.
• Vandalism resulting in property damage reportedly occurred on Edgewood Drive in China Grove around 9:31 a.m. on July 22.
• A larceny on Vance Allen Avenue in Rockwell was reported on July 22.
• A burglary on Fletcher Road in Rockwell was reported on July 22.
• A larceny on Lower Palmer Road in Salisbury was reported on July 22. 
• Kristin Taylor Bruce, 30, was charged with communicating threats, simple assault and domestic criminal trespass on July 20.
• Jason Lloyd Levine, 47, was charged with assault on a female on July 20. 
• Asha Moneice Rankin, 34, was charged with assault on a law enforcement officer on July 20. 
• Brashiyaa Jainaisa Spratt, 20, was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and leaving the scene of a hit and run that caused property damage on July 20.
• Coley William Craft, 31, was charged with simple assault, breaking and entering and injury to real property on July 20.
• Nazir Cartell Lowe, 18, was charged with possession of a stolen firearm on July 21.
• Marianna Yarbrough Peterson, 58, was charged with resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer on July 21. 
• Brandon Jacob Peterson, 30, was charged with larceny, obtaining property by false pretenses, failure to return hired property and possessing stolen goods on July 21. 
• Sherry Renee Stone, 35, was charged with resisting, obstructing or delaying an officer on July 21. 
• Audrey Sue Ballard, 61, was charged with larceny on July 21. 
• Gary Lynn Patterson, 41, was charged with stolen property and second-degree trespass on July 22.
• Bryan James French, 41, was charged with assault by pointing a gun on July 22.
• Alexander Neal Jay, 36, was charged with assault causing serious bodily injury on July 22.