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EDENTON, N.C. — A Chowan County resident experienced a shocking encounter on Monday morning when she discovered an escaped prisoner hiding in her vehicle.
In Edenton, North Carolina, 75-year-old Marie Steinburg was on her way to work when she detected movement in her car’s backseat.
Her unexpected passenger was 23-year-old Charles Edward Babb, whom the Edenton Police Department had cautioned the public about, describing him as potentially armed and dangerous. According to ABC affiliate WAVY, Babb was still clad in his orange prison attire and had wrapped himself in a blanket from the loft above Steinburg’s garage.
Despite the unnerving situation, Steinburg remained composed and attempted to defuse the tension, even extending the gesture of offering Babb a coat. Shortly after, he fled, leaving his shoes behind.
Bob Steinburg, Marie’s husband and a former state legislator, highly praised his wife’s poise during the incident.
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“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,” he said.
For Steinburg, the experience was a wake-up call. She will be making sure to lock her car.
“It’s one of those things that we learned,” she said.
After the encounter, Babb ran away, prompting the Steinburgs to call 911. Police captured him a short time later nearby.
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