North Carolina man accused of kidnapping woman, driving her to Georgia

HALL COUNTY, Ga. — The Hall County Sheriff’s Office said a man from North Carolina was accused of kidnapping a woman and driving down to Georgia with her in his truck.

Deputies said the incident ended up with his arrest on Tuesday, when the woman called 911 about being held against her will in Richard Casey Cornett’s semi-truck.

The call came in to deputies around 6 a.m., the sheriff’s office said, saying Cornett’s truck was parked at the intersection of Monroe Drive and Danbury Lane.

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When deputies got to the truck, its lights came on and Cornett came out of the truck, as did the victim.

The woman told deputies at the scene that she needed help and they detained Cornett. Both the Cornett and the victim are from Statesville, N.C.

Deputies said the two had an on-again, off-again relationship and had left Statesville four days before they were encountered in Hall County.

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During the trip, Cornett would not let the woman leave the truck, “physically forcing her back inside each time she tried to get away,” as well as threatening to kill himself and the woman multiple times.

As the victim called 911 in Hall County on Tuesday morning, deputies said Cornett grabbed her phone and tried to smash it to prevent her from telling dispatch where they were parked.

After their preliminary investigation, deputies arrested Cornett and charged him with multiple felonies.

While searching the truck, deputies said they found a handgun and about two grams of crack cocaine int he driver’s side door.

Cornett faces the following charges: