By KRWG News
Las Cruces – Witnesses to a Tuesday morning incident are being credited with helping police rescue a woman who was abducted, at gunpoint, by her estranged husband.
Samuel L. Stubbs, 28, is charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, aggravated assault against a household member, battery against a household member and tampering with evidence.
At around 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, Las Cruces Police were called to the Walmart store on Walton Boulevard after witnesses saw a man, later identified as Stubbs, force a woman into his pickup at gunpoint.
Las Cruces Police detectives learned that Stubbs and his 26-year-old wife were in their pickup, in the Walmart parking lot, when they began arguing. The argument quickly escalated and Stubbs pointed a handgun at his wife's head and started driving away.
As Stubbs drove from the store, his wife exited the pickup and attempted to escape. Stubbs, however, ran after her and forced her back into the truck. Stubbs then forced the woman at gunpoint to drive to their residence on the 1700 block of Wingate Court.
Detectives learned that once inside their residence Stubbs bound the woman's feet with tape and threatened to kill her.
Las Cruces Police officers, given a license plate number and a good description of the pickup by witnesses, located the couple at their home. Officers surrounded the house and took Stubbs into custody after he followed commands to exit the residence. The victim received several non-life-threatening injuries to her forehead and abdomen but was otherwise in good condition.
Stubbs is being held at the Dona Ana County Detention Center with a cash bond set at $100,000.