LUFKIN, Texas — The Lufkin Police Department says a mother and son who were reportedly kidnapped by the mother’s boyfriend this morning have been located, but the suspect is still at-large.
Brandi Michelle Davis, 47, and her 8-year-old son arrived at a Dallas-area police department around 3 p.m. They are both safe and unharmed.
In a phone conversation, Davis told Lufkin police she was able to drive to safety after James Earl Cruse, 35, of Lufkin, who had been driving, stopped to get gas in the Dallas area.
The incident began around 6 a.m. when Lufkin police were called to the 400 block of Cousart St., on reports of shots fired with a possible gunshot victim bleeding from the head. Officers arrived to find the victim and suspect were no longer on the scene.
The victim, Caleb Blake, 17, is also Davis' son and police say he was injured during a "disturbance" with Cruse. According to police, after being injured, Blake borrowed a neighbor’s truck and drove to a friend’s home. The friend then took him to a local hospital.
Cruse left with Davis and her other son in a passenger vehicle, witnesses said.
"A short time later officers were notified that an assault victim, identified as Blake, had arrived at a local hospital saying he had been pistol-whipped," police said in a statement. "He did not have a gunshot wound and appeared stable and ambulatory."
However, police say several hours after the assault, Blake’s status changed to critical. He has since been flown to an out-of-town hospital where he remains in critical condition.
"Detectives, family members and hospital staff were unsuccessful in reaching Davis by phone throughout the morning," police said in a statement. "That coupled with further investigation led detectives to believe that Cruse had possibly taken Davis and her son against their will. "
In a phone conversation with detectives, police say Davis confirmed Cruse threatened she and her 8-year-old son with the handgun used in the assault on her teenage son.
Cruse has a lengthy criminal history with charges including:
- Injury to a child
- Arson
- Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon
- Evading arrest
He was sentenced to four years in prison on the injury to a child charge in 2017. That sentence expired in April of this year.
Police say Cruse is considered armed and dangerous and if you spot the suspect or his vehicle, call 911 immediately.
CBS19 will update this article as more information becomes available.
