Local

Police: Mother helped son escape after teen killed in Mount Holly park

MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. — The mother of a 17-year-old accused in the shooting death of a 14-year-old in Mount Holly was arrested and charged with helping him escape.

[PAST COVERAGE: Teen killed at Molly Holly park]

A grand jury in Gaston County returned a true bill of indictment Monday on Laquita Lynn Garrett for accessory after the fact to a felony. The indictment accuses Garrett of knowingly helping her son, Eric Combs, escape to Ohio.

(Eric Combs)

Garrett was arrested when she went by the Mount Holly Police Department to collect items that were seized during the investigation.

Combs, along with Darvon Fletcher, are accused of shooting and killing Taylor Smith at River Street Park in April.

Fletcher was arrested a day after the shooting.

(Darvon Fletcher)

Authorities said Combs fled to Dayton, Ohio. He turned himself in about a week and a half later.

[PAST COVERAGE: Mother of teen accused of killing 14-year-old girl claims he is innocent]

Channel 9 spoke to Garrett last week, and she said her son is innocent. She also said that she took her family to Ohio on vacation. She said once they arrived, Combs became a suspect in the murder and he ran in fear.

(Click to PLAY to watch a clip from Channel 9's interview with Laquita Garrett)

"They know this had been scheduled," Garrett said last week.

She was concerned that it appeared she was helping her son escape.

"I didn't take my son on the run," she said.

She said she had a video conference with officers after she arrived in Ohio, but she knew nothing about a homicide.

She agreed to wait for a local officer to meet with her and ask her questions, then she realized the officer on the phone was at her house apparently serving a search warrant, something they didn't reveal.

"'Why did I leave the location? I told them because they lied to me," Garrett said. "I gave you my location. If you really want to talk to me, you'll come find me I didn't have anything to hide."

They found her, but couldn’t find her son.

She said he ran away.

Two weeks later he turned himself into police in Ohio.

Garrett is in jail under a $1 million bond.

Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com:

Cox Media Group

Most Read