North Carolina man pleads in kidnapping, sexual actions with minor

May 21—A North Carolina man charged with kidnapping a teen and having child pornography in his possession entered a guilty plea in Laurel Circuit Court last week.

James Herbert Brick, 63, of Cherokee, N.C., was recommended to serve four years in prison for taking a teenage girl from North Carolina to Ohio and possessing material showing a minor in a sexual performance.

The incident came to light as Brick's vehicle was traveling south on Interstate 75 on Nov. 4, 2021, when the teenage girl was making hand gestures to other motorists, known to TikTok viewers as a distress signal. That gesture involves holding the hand, palm facing outward, tucking the thumb to the palm and folding the other four fingers over the thumb.

One motorist recognized the signal and contacted Laurel 911 Dispatch. Law enforcement was set up to observe the vehicle as it passed through London, and when Brick pulled off Exit 41, a traffic stop was conducted.

The teen told investigating officers that Brick was a friend of the family and that she had gone with him willingly from North Carolina. However, her family reported her missing two days prior to Brick being stopped in London.

The teen said she and Brick had traveled from North Carolina through Tennessee and Kentucky and into Ohio where Brick had relatives. But once the relatives learned that the teen was a minor and had been reported missing, they asked Brick to leave. The two then headed south back into Kentucky.

Brick was also found in possession of a phone that contained inappropriate juvenile images, so he was charged with possession of a minor in a sexual performance.

Brick was lodged in the Laurel County Correctional Center under $50,000 for unlawful imprisonment and $250,000 for possession of matter of a minor in a sexual performance. He has remained incarcerated since his arrest on Nov. 4, 2021 — nearly 2 1/2 years.

He is scheduled for sentencing on July 12.