WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (WGHP) — The man who kidnapped a woman while she was jogging in Winston-Salem during a brazen assault was sentenced to 5-7 years in prison on Monday, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney’s Office.
Background
On Aug. 23, 2023, a woman was jogging in downtown Winston-Salem. While on Rams Drive, she noticed a stranger following her on foot.
She tried to get away from the stranger, later identified as then-19-year-old Dylan Smyers, by running away. As she was running down Salem Avenue and approaching the US 421 underpass, Smyers ran up to her from behind and grabbed her in what prosecutors described as a “bear hug.”
As Smyers attempted to pull the woman off the roadway into a more secluded area, she struggled with and yelled for help.
Smyers then began to lead her toward the underpass by pulling her by the wrist and telling her to come with him and that he would not hurt her.
The woman was eventually able to break away, escape and call 911.
Smyers was wearing brown pants and a neon yellow shirt and was driving a work truck which gave him the appearance of working for a construction or landscaping company.