A man accused of abducting his 1-year-old daughter from a Jackson County home Thursday morning was captured by police in Gwinnett County.
Robert Joseph “Joey” Peeples, 39, of Lawrenceville, was located Thursday night after a patrol officer spotted his older model white GMC van parked in a driveway on Peninsula Trace. Backup and police dogs were called in just before 9:30 p.m., a plan was put in place and officers set up a perimeter around the home, Gwinnett police spokeswoman Cpl. Michele Pihera told AJC.com.
Peeples was sitting in the van when he was surrounded.
“The officers gave him verbal commands, and he complied,” Pihera said. “He was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Gwinnett County Jail.”
Peeples remains at the Gwinnett jail Friday on a hold for the Arcade Police Department in Jackson County. The agency is investigating the alleged abduction of Baylee Sue Peeples with the assistance of the GBI.
RELATED: Toddler abducted by father found safe in Gwinnett, police say
Credit: Arcade Police Department
Credit: Arcade Police Department
Baylee, who turns 2 next month, was reported missing from a relative’s home on Rock Forge Road in Arcade just before 2 a.m. Thursday. The child’s mother, Tiffany Aycock, told Channel 2 Action News she and Peeples argued in the driveway, and Peeples told her to get in his van or she would not see their daughter again.
The two have an on-again, off-again relationship, according to police, and Peeples allegedly has made threats against Aycock in the past. He has a long arrest record in Gwinnett, DeKalb, Barrow and Clayton counties.
Aycock tried to reach for Baylee, but Peeples took off, she told the news station. On his way out of the driveway, Arcade police Chief Randy Williams said Peeples hit the woman with the van.
A Levi’s Call was issued just before 5 a.m. More than eight hours later, Williams announced during a news conference that Baylee was found safe in Gwinnett.
Peeples dropped the toddler off with a family member around 1 p.m., he said. She appeared to be unharmed. Williams had pleaded with the man to surrender.
“We want to hear his side of the story and find out why he did this,” he said. “We don’t want him to feel that his back is against the wall, because we will work with anybody, but he’s got to come in and tell his side of the story.”
Peeples is not facing any criminal charges in Gwinnett at this time, according to police.
However, he does have active warrants out of Jackson County on kidnapping and aggravated assault charges, Pihera said.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
About the Author
