MHP troopers arrest kidnapper and rescue two victims in Alcorn County

Mississippi Highway Patrol troopers rescued two kidnap victims and arrested their alleged abductor following a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 72 near Corinth.

On Saturday, July 4, at approximately 2:42 p.m., a trooper received information that a vehicle traveling westbound on Highway 72 near County Road 278 in Alcorn County was being driven by a man wanted in Tennessee.

When the trooper located the vehicle, the driver matched the information on the warrants. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and the tag information did not match the vehicle. With the assistance of a second state trooper and two Alcorn County deputies, the vehicle was stopped. Agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation also responded to the scene.

After confirming the driver was the suspect, the troopers found two occupants in the vehicle who had been kidnapped. They arrested Tony L. Lanier Sr., 44, of Cooter, Missouri, and transported him to the Alcorn County Jail.

The victims, Krista Trapp and her 10-month-old daughter, Braelee Trapp, were transported to the Alcorn County Sheriff’s Office where a victims’ advocate assisted them.

“This is an example of the important work our troopers and agents are doing, day in and day out,” said Col. Randy Ginn, director of MHP, in a statement. “Because this trooper was alert and thorough: a mother and her child were rescued, and a dangerous criminal has been taken off our highways.”

Two active arrest warrants had been issued for Lanier: one in Tennessee for kidnapping and a second in Missouri for parole violations. He is awaiting extradition to Tennessee.

MBI is continuing the investigation.