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RALEIGH Before Christopher McCoy Rodgers led officers on a high-speed chase that resulted in the death of a state Trooper Bobby Gene DeMuth, he broke into his estranged girlfriend’s home and duct-taped the woman and her 21-month-old child together, according to a police warrant.
According to a search warrant made public Thursday, Rodgers 40, of Williamston, broke into his estranged girlfriend’s house in the 5400 block of Morning Creek Way early Saturday morning, forced the two into the bathroom and barricaded the door. The woman told officers that Rodgers took her ATM card and demanded her personal identification number, then fled the residence.
The woman freed herself and the baby, then fled to a friend’s home where she called to report the crime. Police later discovered that the woman’s ATM card, which Rodgers had stolen, was used in the 800 block of South New Hope Road in Raleigh.
Raleigh police obtained arrest warrants charging Rodgers with burglary, common-law robbery, obtaining property by false pretenses, assault on a female, assault on a child and two counts of kidnapping.
Rodgers’ car was spotted by police shortly after 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. The ensuing chase ended about 20 miles away in Nash County, after Rodgers’ Nissan struck DeMuth as the trooper was putting out tire-puncturing “stop sticks” on U.S. 64.
State Highway patrol spokesman Jeff Gordon said Rodgers jumped out of the vehicle after hitting DeMuth and ran. He was captured by officers, however, and later charged with murder in DeMuth’s death.
Investigators have collected an oral DNA swab from Rodgers to see if it matches up with DNA collected at the robbery crime scene. Results from the DNA tests have not yet been released.
