2 accused of stealing SUV with toddler in back seat in Lawrence charged with kidnapping
LAWRENCE - Two people accused of stealing a car with a toddler inside now face kidnapping and several other charges.
Police say they stole a Honda Pilot outside a barbershop on South Broadway in Lawrence around 8 p.m. Monday. A 22-month-old girl was in the back seat at the time.
Surveillance video shows the moments before the SUV was stolen. A little boy was getting his haircut at the barbershop, his baby sister toddling around in the background. Her mom then brought her out to the car.
When 22-month-old Emma Buth was in the running car outside, terror struck. You can see mom and the barbershop employees bolting outside.
"In the moments that it took her to enter that establishment before even turning around, she found that her vehicle had been taken," said Shailagh Kennedy, Essex Co. Assistant District Attorney.
A Methuen man, Adam Maksou, and his girlfriend, Jamie Garrity, are now charged with kidnapping. Surveillance video from another business on South Broadway shows the suspect walking up the street and stealing the SUV with Emma in the back.
Maksou told police he didn't know the baby was there. An Amber Alert was issued to find her.
"A search ensued with a large State Police presence in the city of Lawrence," Kennedy said.
Investigators say Maksou picked up his on and off again girlfriend Jamie Garrity. After bringing Emma to Methuen, police say Maksou and Garritty brought her to Lawrence General Hospital.
Investigators say Maksou and Garritty fled police at speeds up to 110 miles per hour on Route 495 but were finally taken into custody in Berlin.
"My client informs me, and he has authorized me to tell the court that he suffers from severe substance abuse disorder," Maksou's attorney Michael Downing said.
Maksou is also charged with motor vehicle larceny and reckless endangerment of a child. Garrity is also charged with receiving a stolen motor vehicle and giving police a false name at booking.
Prosecutors say both Maksou and Garrity have lengthy court records. If they make bail, they will be required wear GPS monitoring devices and be ordered on home confinement.