Man Accused of Attempting to Kidnap Gas Station Clerk in Tuscaloosa County

A Tuscaloosa County man was arrested and jailed after he reportedly attempted to kidnap a gas station clerk at gunpoint early Tuesday morning.

A spokesperson for the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office said their deputies were called out to the 82 Quick Stop at 111137 Highway 82 East at about 7 a.m. Tuesday on reports of an altercation there.

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Sergeant Josh Hastings said a clerk there was outside smoking a cigarette when a driver in a truck parked there asked her if she had another one for him.

The suspect was identified as 39-year-old Christopher Steven Herring, who was identified in court documents as a resident of Duncanville.

The clerk reportedly walked inside, got a cigarette, and walked out to the man's truck to give it to him when he allegedly grabbed her arm and demanded she get in the vehicle.

Hastings said the woman fought to break away from his grip, and at one point, Herring brandished a firearm, but the service station employee got free and ran inside to contact police.

The Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office responded, and although the truck had left the scene, surveillance cameras caught enough of the suspect and his vehicle for investigators to track him down quickly and ultimately arrest him the same day.

Herring was charged with second-degree kidnapping and placed in the Tuscaloosa County Jail.

For more coverage of crime and courts news in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.