How Florida Highway Patrol arrested the accused Cotswold stabber

CHARLOTTE — Court documents provide new information on how Marvina Butler-Hardy, the Cotswold stabbing suspect, was caught in Florida.

Last week, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released surveillance video of a woman accused of stabbing a pregnant woman on March 18 outside a Harris Teeter in the Cotswold Village Shopping Center.

A Florida State Highway Patrol trooper was patrolling Interstate 95 on Monday in Flagler County when the Jacksonville Regional Communication Center got a “Be On The Lookout” for a silver Hyundai traveling south on I-95 from the Duval area. The vehicle was described as having a paper tag and a taped-up window and was being driven by a female.

The Highway Patrol trooper spotted a silver Hyundai being driven by a female, but didn’t see a paper tag or tape on the windows. However, the car had a very large crack on the windshield, obstructing the driver’s view. So the trooper pulled her over on I-95.

The trooper says Butler-Hardy only gave him an ID card instead of a license and when asked why, she said her license is suspended. The trooper provided the name of the woman he pulled over to another trooper who confirmed she was the suspect in the Cotswold stabbing. He then arrested her.

The trooper said upon further inspection of her vehicle, a North Carolina paper tag was found on the rear seat, and the tape which was on the window appears to have been peeled off.

The stabbing victim and her baby are OK.

The car was towed. Butler-Hardy is being held in the Flagler County Jail until she is extradited to Mecklenburg County.

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