High bail for alleged carjackers who found toddler in car
22-month-old girl found safe at area hospital
A Lawrence judge handed down a heavy bail for a duo that allegedly carjacked an SUV on a city street Monday only to find out a toddler was still sitting in the backseat.
Adam Maksou, 36, of Methuen, is being held on $75,000 cash bail and Jamie (O’Neil) Garrity, also 36 of Methuen, is being held on $10,000 cash bail for their involvement in the alleged kidnapping. They would be subjected to GPS monitoring if they make bail, Judge Holly Broadbent ruled during a Tuesday arraignment at Lawrence District Court. The pair pleaded not guilty.
An Amber Alert and all points bulletin issued around 8 p.m. Monday when Lawrence police received an emergency call that a silver 2011 Honda Pilot had been stolen in the area of the 100 block of South Broadway, with a 22-month-old girl in the backseat.
A prosecutor during Tuesday’s court session said the toddler’s mother briefly entered a barbershop while the girl remained in the car. The prosecutor accused Maksou of taking the vehicle while she was inside.
City and state authorities immediately responded to South Broadway in Lawrence, with an amber alert being sent out across the state. Lawrence police learned the young girl was dropped off safely at Lawrence General Hospital, according to authorities.
State police then spotted and pursued the Honda on Interstate 495. The chase spanned 20 miles, with speeds up to 110 miles per hour, before the suspects stopped on I-495 south near I-290 in Berlin.
Garrity initially gave authorities a wrong identity, telling police she was a 29-year-old of a different name from the neighboring community of Haverhill.
Maksou faces charges of kidnapping, larceny of a motor vehicle and reckless endangerment to a child. Garrity was charged with kidnapping, receiving a stolen motor vehicle and providing a false name at booking.