A woman was rescued after being kidnapped at a convenience store in Washington, USA on Friday, May 12 and kept naked for hours in the cab of a U-Haul truck.
According to Maryland State Police, she was rescued later Friday night after a police pursuit in Maryland.
Police said in a statement that officers arrested Dennis Bell, 62, of Lanham, in Prince George’s County, and charged him with more than a dozen criminal offenses including assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment, a sex offense, possession of suspected crack cocaine and driving while impaired.
Bell, who faces 19 traffic-related charges, was being held in a jail in Prince George’s County, according to authorities.
Police said the victim, who was not identified, was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. Bell is accused of stabbing the woman in the fingers with a pocket knife.
The incident began at a convenience store on Friday morning. Police said the woman told them Bell pushed her into the U-Haul vehichle and “threatened her life if she did not comply with his demands.”
Police said Bell drove the truck all day with the woman sitting on the floor at the front seat. According to the woman, Bell removed her clothing. She told police she had no idea where she was during the ordeal.
About 9:45 p.m., state police said motorists reported a U-Haul truck driving erratically and hitting parked vehicles near Princess Garden Parkway in Lanham. State police said officers located the truck on Route 450 and began a pursuit when the driver refused to stop. Police said the chase ended at Baltimore Avenue and Elm Street when the vehicle got stuck in a ditch.
