NEWTON, Kan. — A Texas man is jailed in Harvey County for an alleged kidnapping incident that apparently started in Austin. Harvey County law enforcement were told that the suspect and victim traveling northbound on I-135.
Apparently the vehicle was being tracked with GPS and officers were receiving updates on their location. A Newton Police officer spotted the vehicle and with the help of the Harvey County Sheriff’s Office and Hesston Police made the stop.
The victim was reported to have been abducted at gun point in Austin, blindfolded and handcuffed. She was still being held against her will when the vehicle came through Newton. She was not injured from the ordeal and told police that she had been kidnapped at gun point around 6:50 p.m. Thursday evening in Austin and was blindfolded and handcuffed until they were in Oklahoma.
The man accused of the kidnapping and other charges has been identified as 24-year-old Joseph Derusse. (shown above) He apparently had a relationship with the victim which apparently ended about three weeks ago according to a news release from Newton Police.
All the activity in Newton happened just before 5 a.m. Friday morning.