Missing Dementia Patient Located Safely; Driver Arrested After Fleeing Traffic Stop

An elderly Glynn County man with dementia was safely located on Interstate 95 Sunday evening (Sept. 27) after the vehicle he had been riding in was taken from a convenience store. The man was unharmed, and the driver was later arrested with assistance from neighboring law enforcement agencies.

A caller notified Glynn County Police that his father, who has dementia, had driven away in his vehicle while he was in the QuikTrip at 90 Pilot Lane.

Using Flock Safety camera data, officers determined the vehicle, a Cadillac Escalade, had entered northbound I-95 at Exit 29. An officer later spotted the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop near the 40-mile marker.

The officer found the elderly man in the front passenger seat and an unknown male driving the vehicle. While the officer was helping the elderly man out of the car, the driver drove away.

The elderly man was not injured and was transported to Glynn County Police Headquarters where he was reunited with his son.

The Escalade was pursued by the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol. The driver, identified as Jkwan Phillip Vassell, 21, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was apprehended, and the vehicle was returned to its owner.

Glynn County Police are seeking charges of Kidnapping, Theft by Taking, and Obstruction of an Officer against Vassell. He was transported to the Glynn County Sheriff’s Office.

The Glynn County Police Department thanks the McIntosh County Sheriff’s Office and Georgia State Patrol for their assistance.

This investigation remains ongoing. Any person with information on this case is encouraged to contact the Glynn County Police Department Non-Emergency at (912) 554-3645 or anonymously via Silent Witness at (912) 264-1333.