EDENTON, N.C. — A 75-year-old North Carolina woman discovered an escaped inmate hiding in her car Monday morning as she prepared to leave for work, leading to the suspect's capture shortly after.
Marie Steinburg was heading to her vehicle when she unlocked her car and noticed movement in the back seat. The person inside was 23-year-old Charles Edward Babb, who had escaped from the Chowan County Detention Center Sunday night.
"I clicked the unlock, and it must have scared the guy, because the next thing I know, I saw something moving in my back seat," Steinburg said.
The Edenton Police Department had warned that Babb was considered potentially armed and dangerous. Despite being just yards away from the escapee, Steinburg remained calm and began talking to him.
Watch previous coverage: Escaped inmate in Chowan County apprehended, police say
"He looked so cold and so scared. I thought, well, I'm not going to try and provoke him. I'm going to try and be very, very nice and pull the mother act on him, like I would with my own kids," Steinburg said.
She offered to get Babb a coat, but moments later, he jumped out of the car and ran down her driveway. Steinburg immediately went inside, alerted her husband Bob, and called 911.
"I got in as fast as I could. I was shaking like a leaf, and I could barely get the key in the lock, but I did," Steinburg said.
Bob Steinburg, who served in the North Carolina General Assembly as both a senator and representative, described his wife's reaction when she came inside.
"There seemed to be a little bit of tension and alarm in her voice. And so I said, 'What's going on? What is it?,'" Bob Steinburg said. "She said, 'There's somebody in my car, and I think it's the guy that escaped last night, because he had a jumpsuit on, an orange jumpsuit.'"
The Edenton Police Department captured Babb shortly after nearby. All that was left behind were his shoes. The Steinburgs also found a blanket they believe Babb took from a room over their garage and used for warmth while hiding in the car overnight.
Bob Steinburg praised his wife's handling of the dangerous situation.
"I was very proud of my wife. I mean, the way she handled it as I'm hearing about this now from her and others, that she really did a great job at trying to not alarm the young man but at least have a conversation with him," Bob Steinburg said.
The couple expressed gratitude that no one was hurt during the encounter.
"Someone else said to me, I thought this was very interesting. They had mentioned that God must have been watching over Marie yesterday. And I said, 'You're absolutely right. God, was watching over Marie yesterday. But you know something, I think God was watching out over this young man as well, to have him come here,'" Bob Steinburg said.
The experience has taught the Steinburgs an important lesson about home security.
"Oh, let me tell you, if I don't, he's (Bob) going to. It's one of those things that we learned," Marie Steinburg said about locking her car.
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