ARITON, Ala. – A man sought following the abduction of his ex-wife and three children from their home in southeast Alabama was arrested Tuesday at a fast-food restaurant in Eufaula, and all four victims were reported safe.
The Alabama Department of Public Safety (search) said Max Otis Hines was captured around 9 a.m. CDT in Eufaula, located on the Chattahoochee River at the Georgia line.
An Amber alert (search) issued by the state said Hines was suspected in the armed abduction of ex-wife Victoria Hines and children Amanda Nicole Hines, 8; Mindy Lee Taylor, 13; and William Taylor, 15. The four were taken from their home in the Dale County town of Ariton, about 30 miles from Eufaula, according to the alert.
Authorities said the woman was with the man when he was arrested and the children were found at a residence in Georgia.
"The children are OK, she's OK, and he's in custody," said Dale County Chief Deputy Walter Ford. "It was a terrible situation and it ended great."
Ford said Hines and his wife have been divorced about two months. He showed up at his ex-wife's home about 7 p.m. Monday and fired three shots at a man believed to be her boyfriend, Ford said.
"After the shots were fired, he told them to get in the truck or he'd kill them," Ford said.
Ford said Hines was being charged with kidnapping and attempted murder. Hines previously served 20 years in prison in a homicide, Ford said, but details on the case were not immediately available.
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