By Linda Cicoira — The victim of an alleged abduction in Greenbackville says her boyfriend, who was arrested for the crime, did not kidnap her.
On Monday, Vermelle Tontrese Moore, 18, told Judge Gordon Vincent, of Accomack General District Court, that Jerry Antoine Satchell Jr., with whom she lives, did not force her into his vehicle. She was speaking at the judge’s bench and was standing next to the defendant when she testified. It was impossible for spectators to hear all of the conversations.
A police report released last week stated the crime occurred at around 3 a.m. “Moore was a passenger in a vehicle traveling through the Captain’s Cove subdivision in Greenbackville … and was forcibly removed from the vehicle by Satchell,” the report stated. “Satchell forced Moore into a dark green 1993 Ford F-150 pickup truck and fled the scene. As he was leaving the neighborhood, he intentionally backed into another vehicle and left the scene. No one in the vehicle that was struck by the pickup truck was injured in the crash.”
It was the young woman’s birthday and there was a party, she said in court. Moore implied Satchell came to her rescue as she was in a car with people who “were” her friends and had locked her in their car. “They wanted to take me to Berlin,” Md., she said.
Commonwealth’s Attorney Spencer Morgan told Vincent, “She has nowhere else to go. She was put out by her grandmother. (She is the) domestic partner with Satchell. Proceed very cautiously here. She’s impressible. She’s young.”
“That is a lot of speculation,” defense lawyer Paul Watson said of Morgan’s comments. The abduction charge was initially filed in Accomack Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court but was transferred to Accomack General District Court on a formal request by Morgan.
Watson mentioned Moore could be seen in a video partying and dancing with Satchell. Special Agent Scott Wade, of the state police and one of the investigators handling the case, said, “That was prior to 3 a.m. when he allegedly abducted her.”
According to court records, Satchell, 21, lives in a camper west of … Fleming Road in Horntown. He was also charged with intentionally destroying property worth more than $1,000 belonging to Doane Gayle and maliciously wounding Monae Odom.
Testimony Monday was that the car was damaged as the occupants were trying to stop Satchell.
Moore’s disappearance was reported by state police as a Virginia Critically Missing Adult Alert at around noon June 12. Moore learned of this and contacted police at around 4 p.m. Satchell’s pickup was also recovered that afternoon,
Officers continued to search for Satchell, who turned himself in the next day. He is being held in Accomack Jail. Vincent set two secured bonds. One was for $15,000 and the other was for $3,000. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 12.
