A 45-year-old Gaithersburg man is being held without bail after he was charged with the attempted murder and attempted kidnapping of a woman who worked at a local grocery store, Montgomery County police said.
James Lamont Odum of Nancy Place was charged with one count of attempted first-degree murder, attempted kidnapping, first-degree assault, and second-degree assault after the Saturday morning incident at the Food Express grocery store, 16254 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg, police said.
According to police, the store employee said a man, whom she identified as Odum, a regular customer, entered the store, bought food and left the store. He returned to the store a short time later and grabbed her from behind, holding a knife to her side.
The woman said the man, then said he was going to kill her and tried to drag her out of the store, police said. The woman said he grabbed her by the neck and began to strangle her, according to police.
The woman told police the man then dragged her to the rear of the store, threw her to the ground and said he was going to kill her. She said the man was about to stab her, but fled when a customer entered the store, police said.
The woman was transported with nonlife-threatening injuries to an area hospital by the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service.
Later that afternoon, officers found and arrested Odum at his home, police said.
