Police say Martina Jones was calling the shots — ordering the group of men she had relationships with to beat the victim.
MAUMEE, Ohio (WTVG) – Six people are facing multiple charges for allegedly kidnapping a man and holding him captive in an incident police described as essentially torture.
13 Action News first reported the arrests on March 22, but now we’re learning how the people are connected and what led police to find the victim. Police arrested the following people for the alleged kidnapping and assault: Aaron Bradshaw, 49, Austin Bradshaw, 23, David Cessna, 26, Martina Jones, 28, Michael Esqueda, 28, and Chance Johnston, 27.
Charging documents said the group held a 26-year-old man captive for about a week. During that time, they allegedly beat him with a baseball bat, made him stand for extended periods of time, and only allowed him to eat and drink once a day. The victim only slept for about 10 hours during a seven day stretch.
“He was being essentially tortured, assaulted, over the time frame of a week,” Maumee Chief of Police Josh Sprow told 13 Action News. “His injuries were results of being struck with a baseball bat, struck with fists, elbows, stomping on him when he was on the ground — which over time resulted in multiple fractured bones.”
Sprow told 13 Action News that Martina Jones was the one calling the shots in the kidnapping and assault — ordering the group to beat the victim. Investigators determined she had a romantic relationship with the other suspects, and had multiple children by them.
The chief went on to say that the suspects would let the victim out on occasion, but that’s what eventually led police to catch the six people.
“Friday he was allowed to leave the room to go to Speedway,” Sprow said. “When he was there he made contact with an individual, who got in contact with the victims mother. When she was contacted by this literally a stranger — she knew something was up.”
The 26-year-old’s mother raced to the Red Roof Inn on South Reynolds Road to help her son. Maumee Police were called out to the hotel for a report of a disturbance. Police obtained warrants and began watching the hotel, later arresting the six defendants.
Investigators determined the victim was transported between two locations during his time being held captive: the hotel in Maumee along with a home in Toledo where two of the defendants live.
“It’s clearly a strange situation when you have multiple adult men involved in a relationship with a female and then this whole felonious assault, kidnapping taking place. Definitely not something that is normally happening in our city,” Sprow said.
Officers found the victim in time to get him medical treatment and he is expected to survive.
The chief said the group was planning to flee the area, but officers arrested them before they got the chance to take off.
They faced a judge Monday on their charges out of Toledo. The judge set their bond at $200,000 each.