A West Virginia man is accused of kidnapping a woman and holding her hostage in a home for four agonizing days, allegedly beating the woman over the course of her captivity, according to media reports citing police.
West Virginia State Police found the woman on Saturday, January 31, after receiving a call about gunshots at a home in the town of Julian, located in Boone County, the agency said in a news release shared with WOWK-TV.
The woman told state troopers that Caleb Joseph Lee Turner, 26, kept her at the home and repeatedly beat her over a span of around four days, according to police, the TV station reported. She also accused him of holding her at gunpoint.
The alleged violence ended after Turner reportedly fired a gunshot into the wall of the Julian home, then fled, police said, WCHS-TV reported.
A few hours later on January 31, troopers located Turner in neighboring Logan County, in the area of Mud Fork, according to the TV station. He was taken into custody and charged with one count of kidnapping, one count of wanton endangerment involving a firearm, one count of felony possession of a firearm, one count of malicious or unlawful assault, and one count of strangulation, suffocation or asphyxiation, court records viewed by Us Weekly show.
During Turner’s initial court appearance on Tuesday, February 3, he pleaded not guilty to all of the charges against him, according to court records.
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Turner’s legal representation was not immediately listed in court records on Wednesday, February 4.
The nature of the relationship between Turner and the woman he is accused of holding hostage is unclear. News reports citing West Virginia State Police do not indicate a potential motive.
West Virginia State Police did not immediately respond to an inquiry from Us on February 4.
Turner is being held in custody on a $150,000 cash bond, records show.
He is detained in the Southwestern Regional Jail, according to jail records.
The state-run facility, located in Logan County, houses inmates for four West Virginia counties.
If Turner is convicted of kidnapping, which is considered a serious felony, he could face anywhere from 10 years to life in prison, “depending on the severity of the offense,” according to Frank Walker Law, a firm based in Morgantown.
A kidnapping conviction could also result in tens of thousands of dollars in fines, the law firm reports online.
“Kidnapping charges in West Virginia can apply in a variety of situations,” according to Frank Walker Law, including “holding someone for ransom,” “using a person as a shield or hostage,” “interfering with a parent’s custody rights,” and “transporting someone to commit another crime.”
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In a recent case out of North Carolina, a man was accused of kidnapping three teenage girls from a state psychiatric treatment facility according to authorities, Us previously reported.
After their disappearance from the Cornerstone Treatment Facility in Wadesboro, an investigation led authorities to find one of the teens, a 13-year-old, inside the car of the accused kidnapper, Zaire Witherspoon.
The two other teens were located afterward, the Union County Sheriff’s Office announced in a January 27 news release.
