” Tybee Man Drives 10 Miles With Wife Clinging to Car
By TOM HOSE”

“A Tybee Island man drove his car early 10 mites with his wife dinging to the car’s luggage rack after he drove off with the couple’s child, authorities said. Woody Paul Petrea, 25, was arrested Monday near Fort Ogtethorpe in north Georgia. Authorities said he drove with his estranged wife, Teresa Petrea, hanging on to the top of the trunk of the vehicle. “I don’t know how she managed to hang on,” Catoosa County Sheriff Phil Summers said Wednesday “Motorists said he was swerving, trying to sling her off the back at 90 mph If he had, we would have working a death. Luckily she managed to hang on.” In a telephone interview Wednesday night, Petrea said he never drove faster than the speed limit and that he had stopped the car four times to ask his wife to get off the car He also said the incident covered lass than 10 miles.”I knew that she wasn’t going to fall off because I wasn’t speeding;’ he said, explaining that his wife was able to stand on the car’s rear bumper white holding on to the rack. “I did not threaten her and I did not hurt her in any way, shape or form.” The incident began at a motel in a Chattanooga, Tenn., suburb where the couple had agreed to meet At the motel, Petrea took his 15-month-old son, got into his car with him and started off, authorities said.”She dove onto the back of the car and grabbed onto the luggage rack anticipating that he would stop the car,” Instead, Petrea headed out to Interstate 75, where he got in the southbound lanes and crated into Georgia. Several motorists noticed the woman hanging from the car, and a driver of a pickup puled up alongside the car. Petrea
swerved and struck the pickup truck, authority said. Petrea said Wednesday that the pickup swerved Into his car. Summers said that after the accident, Petrea got off the Interstate and went west on highway toward Port Ogle A Catoosa county deputy passed the
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vehicle, and when he noticed the woman hanging from the car, he turned around behind the car and tried to pull it over. Two miles later
Petrea pulled over, Summers said. My hands were so cold, but I knew that if I let go I’d die/’ Mrs. Petrea said. “I Just knew I couldn’t
let him get away with my baby.” “I realise that I was in the wrong, but there are some things I’m not guilty of,” Petrea said.
Petrea said his wife took the child without his permission on Jan. 5 and that be had not seen or beard from ton until last week.
“All I wanted was to have my son for two weeks,” he said. Petrea, the brother of Thunderbolt Mayor James Petrea, was charged with reckless conduct, leaving
the scene of an accident and several traffic violation He was re leased on a $6,000 bond.