Disgruntled inmate transport driver charged with kidnapping 4 prisoners

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. — A disgruntled inmate transport driver became an inmate himself after allegedly kidnapping four prisoners who were locked in the cargo area of the van he was driving.

The owner of the inmate transport company called the Iredell County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday morning to tell them the driver was off course and refused to stop or return the van.

The driver, Joshua James Pinquet, was with another employee in the van, who was texting the transport company owner.

Pinquet told the owner that he was quitting his job in the middle of the trip and refused to stop at one of its destinations in Hickory with the prisoners, detectives said.

Deputies found and stopped the van on Interstate 40 near mile marker 154 in Iredell County.

Deputies detained the two employees and ensured all inmates were OK and secured in the van.

Detectives learned the transport company was hired by various law enforcement agencies outside North Carolina to deliver inmates to and from various detentions in the U.S.

Pinquet was charged with five counts of felony second-degree kidnapping and felony larceny by an employee.

He was taken to the Iredell County Detention Center and was issued no bond.

The inmates were turned over to additional personnel from the original transport company and continued to their destinations in Florida.

VIDEO: 2 arrested after 130 mph chase ends along I-77 in Iredell County, troopers say

2 arrested after 130 mph chase ends along I-77 in Iredell County, troopers say

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