Police made several arrests Saturday after a woman in her 40s was kidnapped, bound, and held in a dog cage in Orange County, Florida.
The apparent victim was held against her will in an attempt to pry information from her about a potential stolen item, Fox 35 reported Monday, adding she was able to break free and went to a nearby home pleading for neighbors to assist her.
The incident happened Saturday on Barnett Place, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office detailed in a social media post:
Deputies arrested Monica Reed, Damon Tromp, Kevin Holmes & Cortez Marenzo Bernard Jackson on charges of Armed Kidnapping False Imprisonment with a Weapon. Reed also arrested for Aggravated Battery with a Firearm for pistol whipping the victim, who is expected to recover.
On August 12, a woman knocked on a door on Barnett Place, pleading for help & saying she had just escaped after being…
Posted by Orange County Sheriff's Office, Florida on Monday, August 14, 2023
The group is accused of kidnapping the victim, duct taping her hands, feet, and mouth, then locking her inside a dog cage that was located behind a home in Pine Hills.
When the woman banged on a neighbor’s door that afternoon and informed them of her situation, deputies quickly arrived at the scene to investigate what happened.
Officials arrested the group of suspects after a lengthy standoff. Video footage shows sheriff’s vehicles swarming the area:
“We know you’re inside. Come out the front door. Do it now,” an official is heard telling the suspects over a loud speaker.
It remains unknown how long the victim was locked in the cage or how she managed to break free.
One neighbor told Fox 35 the woman climbed over his tall fence and banged on a window.
“You’re trying to run for your life, you’re trying to save your life, you’ll do whatever you need to do,” he commented.
“It’s a bit heart-breaking. To know that it’s so close, you never know what’s going on. But I thank God she was saved,” he added.
Social media users were quick to praise law enforcement officials who helped the woman and made the arrests, one person writing, “Good job ocso for putting these dangerous people behind bars. Now lets hope justice gets served.”
