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Zhang
Montgomery
White |
BY KEITH EPPS
The two suspects in the violent abduction of a food deliveryman in Fredericksburg on Thursday night were arrested yesterday at a Wal-Mart in Franklin in southeastern Virginia.
Jermaine Montgomery, 34, and his girlfriend, 36-year-old Marcey White, are charged with being the persons responsible for the brutal ambush of Yong Hui Zhang.
The two were taken into custody without incident by two state police special agents, an FBI agent and sheriff's deputies from Southampton County.
They had used a credit card belonging to Zhang to make purchases at the Wal-Mart and went back into the store to buy more when they were arrested, said Fredericksburg police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe
Zhang, 24, was making a delivery for his parents' China Express restaurant when he was attacked behind a vacant apartment at 202 Charles St. and abducted.
A large amount of Zhang's blood and one of his shoes were found at the scene; Zhang and his vehicle were still missing as of last night. If Zhang is still alive, he would have to be severely injured, police said.
Franklin is located about 135 miles south of Fredericksburg and 42 miles east of Norfolk.
Bledsoe said Montgomery has been identified as the man using Zhang's credit card at the Four-Mile Fork Shell station in Spotsylvania County shortly after the attack. Police have also identified White as the woman who was with him. White was initially listed as someone police simply wanted to talk to, but that had changed by yesterday.
Both suspects have been charged with abduction, conspiracy to commit abduction, carjacking, conspiracy to commit carjacking, credit card theft and conspiracy to commit credit card theft. Carjacking alone carries a possible life sentence.
Bledsoe said police have been working on this case around the clock and will continue to do so. She said neither suspect has a listed address, but both are known to spend time in various localities, living temporarily with relatives and associates. They have associates in the Fredericksburg area, but police aren't sure how much time they've been spending here.
Police focused on the southeastern Virginia area because White has relatives in Virginia Beach and has also lived in Southampton County, Bledsoe said. Police knew the suspects went to that area after the attack on Zhang.
Zhang left the restaurant at 1500 Jefferson Davis Highway at 9:20 p.m. Thursday with less than $50 cash to make three deliveries, police said. When he hadn't returned by closing time, his relatives contacted police at 10:15 p.m. and asked for assistance.
Police learned that Zhang made the first two deliveries without incident, Bledsoe said. But, at the third delivery site, 202 Charles St., police found a large pool of blood and one shoe that is believed to belong to the victim. Bledsoe would not say whether a man or a woman made the call requesting the delivery.
The store camera at the Four-Mile Fork Shell station showed a man using Zhang's credit card at 10:45 p.m., shortly after Zhang was reported missing. The man was later identified as Montgomery.
Police tracked the suspects from Spotsylvania to Bull Church Road in Caroline County, where an extensive search turned up nothing. Police believe the couple went from there to the Hampton Roads area.
It is not known what they were traveling in, but Zhang's vehicle is still missing. The bronze, four-door Nissan Sentra has Virginia tags JPB-6401.
Zhang has lived in the United States for five years. His family immigrated here from China and purchased the China Express. He is described as an Asian male, 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing 140 pounds, with slight facial hair. He was last seen wearing shorts and a blue-and-white horizontal-striped shirt.
Anyone with information about Zhang's whereabouts is asked to call city police at 540/373-3122 or their local law enforcement agency.
Keith Epps: 540/374-5404
Email: kepps@freelancestar.com
