Man linked to abduction of 2-year-old Wynter Cole Smith from Lansing charged with fleeing police
DETROIT – Rashad Maleek Trice, 26, of Detroit, has been charged with fleeing police after officials say he attacked his 22-year-old ex-girlfriend and kidnapped her daughter, 2-year-old daughter Wynter Cole Smith.
The incident occurred Sunday (July 2) when officials say the 26-year-old drove away in the ex-girlfriend’s Chevrolet Impala in Ingham County.
An Amber Alert was issued soon after, and early Monday (July 3), around 5 a.m., St. Clair Shores police attempted a traffic stop which Trice fled at a high rate of speed, leading to a collision with a police vehicle, disabling the car.
Officials said when they tried to get the 26-year-old out of the Impala, Trice grabbed at an officer’s gun and resisted arrest. He was eventually taken into custody, but the 2-year-old was not with him.
Wynter’s body was found in an alley Wednesday (July 5), nearly three days after her kidnapping in Lansing.
Trice was charged in Macomb County with fleeing and eluding in the third degree (Five-year felony), attempt to disarm an officer (Five-year felony), receiving and concealing a motor vehicle (Five-year felony), assault with a dangerous weapon (Five-year felony), resisting and obstructing causing injury (Four-year felony) and three counts resisting and obstructing a police officer (Two-year felonies).
“Tragically, this case has taken a heart-wrenching turn, as we must now face the devastating reality that the little girl, a precious life with endless potential, was brutally taken away,” said Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido. “The alleged events that transpired in our neighbor county are heinous actions. The relentless efforts of all law enforcement, including the St. Clair Shores and Eastpointe police departments, led to the eventual capture of the defendant. However, the apprehension did not come without difficulty, as he actively evaded his capture and ultimate arrest, displaying a complete disregard for the lives and safety of others. The defendant’s resistance and attempts to elude justice only compound the severity of his crimes.”
Read: What officials said about discovering body of Wynter Cole Smith in Detroit days after Amber Alert
A probable cause conference is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. July 13, and a preliminary examination is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. July 20.
Trice is being held without bond.
Here’s how federal agents tracked Trice
Source: WDIV ClickOnDetroit
