Quitman man charged with kidnapping

Published 11:38 am Tuesday, November 19, 2024

VALDOSTA — Valdosta police arrested a Brooks County man Thursday in a kidnapping case.

Around 11:15 p.m., a caller to E911 said a man with a bloody shirt was at his door asking him to call the law, a Valdosta Police Department statement said.

The man told officers that an armed male suspect forced his way into his apartment; they got into a fight while the man’s girlfriend fled the residence, the statement said.

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The suspect chased her down in a parking lot, grabbed her and took her back into the apartment. The man with the bloody shirt told police the woman and the suspect were still in the apartment.

Officers ordered the suspect to come out, but he tried to flee by jumping off a back balcony. Police who had gathered behind the apartment building kept him from jumping while other officers entered the apartment and apprehended the suspect, police said. A firearm was found in the apartment.

Both victims, the man with the bloody shirt and his girlfriend, had superficial injuries.

The suspect — described as a 25-year-old Quitman man — was charged with felony home invasion first degree, felony aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, two felony counts of terroristic threats, felony possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, cruelty to children and felony kidnapping, the police statement said.

“We are so thankful that this victim was able to get to the neighbor, who called E911. The great teamwork between the E911 dispatchers and our officers enabled officers to get to the scene quickly, resulting in our officers quickly engaging the offender to take him into custody.  The response from everyone possibly kept this female victim from further injury,” said Police Chief Leslie Manahan.

Anyone with information about this case should contact the Valdosta Police Department Bureau of Investigative Services at 229-293-3145, the crime tip line at 229-293-3091, or file a tip online at www.valdostacity.com/police-department.