‘This child was scared to death.’ New details in case of girl who used TikTok signal for help.
A man arrested in Southern Kentucky for allegedly holding a missing North Carolina girl against her will had threatened to kill her dog if she tried to get away, a police officer testified at a hearing Tuesday.
A prosecutor moved at the hearing to increase the charge against James Herbert Brick, 61, from unlawful imprisonment, punishable by one to five years in prison, to kidnapping, which carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years.
Laurel District Judge John Paul Chappell approved the request.
Police arrested Brick, of Cherokee, N.C., on Nov. 4 in Laurel County after the 16-year-old girl, who was a passenger in Brick’s car on Interstate 75, used a hand signal to alert a man in another car that she needed help.
The signal has been popularized on TikTok and other social media platforms as a way for domestic abuse victims to silently seek help during a video call. To make the signal, hold your hand up, palm out, fold your thumb across your palm and then cover your thumb with your fingers.
The girl also was mouthing “send help,” Lt. Chris Edwards of the Laurel County Sheriff’s Office testified.
The other motorist called 9-1-1, and police stopped Brick when he got off the interstate at London.
The girl was still trying to get attention when police stopped the car, Edwards said.
The girl, whose name police have not released because of her age, left North Carolina with Brick willingly on Nov. 2. Brick was acquainted with the girl’s family, Edwards said.
However, the girl later began to fear for her safety, Edwards said.
The teen’s parents reported her missing to Asheville police.
At a preliminary hearing Tuesday, Edwards that the girl was upset when officers got her out of Brick’s car.
“She was physically shaking, crying,” Edwards said. “This child was scared to death.”
Edwards said the teen told police she had been afraid to try to get away from Brick because he had told her that if she tried, he would kill her dog and then kill himself in front of her.
Police also charged Brick with possession of material portraying a minor in a sexual performance. That was based on an image they saw on Brick’s phone, according to the citation.
Edwards said that Brick first gave police permission to look in his phone, but when officers saw a sexually suggestive photo of an underage girl in the deleted files, Brick became irate and told them to stop.
Chappell found probable cause to believe Brick committed the offenses and held his case over to be presented to a grand jury.
He also raised Brick’s bond from $10,000 to $50,000.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 12:31 PM.
