Man offers women and kids ride to Walmart, then kidnaps and terrorizes them, NE cops say

A Nebraska man is accused of kidnapping two women and three children, then terrorizing and torturing them inside a speeding car, authorities say.

Carl Thomas, of Morrill, is facing charges including kidnapping, assault, child abuse, willful reckless driving and false imprisonment, the Garden County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

The sheriff’s office says Thomas came across his victims on Feb. 28 in Big Springs, where the group of five — two women and three children — were “seeking assistance.”

More specifically, they were at a Flying J truck stop asking people for money so they could purchase car seats, according to court records obtained by KNEB. Earlier that day, a deputy told the women they couldn’t travel without proper car seats for the children, the sheriff’s office said.

Seeing they were in need, Thomas played the part of the good Samaritan and offered to give them a ride to Walmart, and they accepted, according to the sheriff.

But as miles passed, it became increasingly clear something was off, and after 30 minutes of driving, Thomas told them they weren’t going to Walmart. Instead, they were going to his house “for illicit purposes,” the sheriff’s office said.

While driving at high speed, Thomas showed the victims explicit images, “continuously” yelled at them and “burned one of the women with a cigarette,” according to authorities.

The women rolled down their windows and started screaming for help as they barreled down the highway at up to 90 miles per hour, KNEB reported.

The victims made multiple calls to 911, and a deputy spotted Thomas’ vehicle and stopped him, the sheriff’s office said.

Court records say that after being pulled over, Thomas told deputies the women in his car were “out of control and he was going to deport them,” KNEB reported. The women said they believed Thomas would have killed them if help hadn’t come, according to deputies.

Thomas’ bond is set at $5 million, officials said, adding that “authorities have uncovered a concerning multi-state criminal history linked to Thomas.”

An investigation is underway.

Garden County is a roughly 350-mile drive northwest from Lincoln.

This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 4:51 PM with the headline "Man offers women and kids ride to Walmart, then kidnaps and terrorizes them, NE cops say."