A woman in Edenton, North Carolina, was ready to go to work early in the morning. However, as soon as she approached her vehicle, she found an uninvited guest inside: a recently escaped inmate.
As reported by WAVY, the incident took place on Monday, December 8. At around 7:30 a.m., Marie Steinburg, a 75-year-old woman, was in her driveway about to enter her car. As she unlocked the doors of her vehicle, however, something inside jumped, scared by the sudden click.
According to Steinburg, “something” moved inside her car. It turned out to be a recently escaped inmate named Charles Babb.
On Facebook, the Edenton Police Department (EPD) previously detailed that, on Sunday, December 7, the 23-year-old man with a teardrop tattoo under his right eye had used a “small hand-held edged weapon” to escape from the Chowan County Detention Center. He was deemed dangerous and potentially armed by the police.
Facing a dangerous man in her car, Steinburg backed away. Immediately, she realized that the person sitting in her car was none other than Babb, as she had heard about his escape the night before. After all, the 23-year-old inmate was still wearing his orange jumpsuit.
However, what Steinburg encountered was a very apologetic man, who said he was “so cold.” The elderly woman, in an attempt to preemptively de-escalate a possibly violent outcome, offered Babb a coat. She told WAVY, “I thought, I’ll try the mother act because I didn’t know whether he was dangerous or not.“
What followed was an oddly normal conversation between Steinburg and the convicted felon. Babb asked if the elderly woman had a phone, and even wondered if there was a McDonald’s nearby. Steinburg, again playing nice, talked with Babb, thinking he would reciprocate with kindness.
Eventually, Babb took off from the Steinburg residence, and she got her husband to call 911. Ironically, Marie’s husband is none other than Bob Steinburg, a former North Carolina State Senator. Reportedly, he fought for years for a total reform of the prison system.
Feeling proud of his wife, Bob praised her decision not to engage in a heated argument with the man, but to treat him with care and offer a warm conversation:
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, is that she really did a great job trying to not alarm the young man, but at least have a conversation with him.
Just minutes after Marie Steinburg stumbled upon Charles Babb sitting in her car, the EPD announced that he had been apprehended. Reportedly, local police officers found him near the Steinburg residence. A photo of a distraught Babb sitting at the back of a police unit was shared by the EPD.
Babb’s escape is currently under investigation. Court records reviewed by PEOPLE show that he has since been charged with a felony, breaking and entering, larceny, and possession of stolen property.
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