Four individuals have been arrested in Florida after a woman in her 40s claimed she was held captive in a dog cage before managing to escape and seek help from her neighbors. The suspects, identified as Monica Latresis Reed, Cortez Jackson, Kevin Holmes, and Damon Tromp, have been charged with armed kidnapping with intent to commit a felony and false imprisonment with a weapon by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. Reed is also facing an additional charge of aggravated battery with a firearm for allegedly pistol-whipping the victim during the ordeal.
The arrest affidavit reveals that the suspects forcibly confined, abducted, and imprisoned the victim against her will in order to inflict bodily harm and terrorize her. The motive behind the kidnapping was to obtain information about a potential stolen item, including trying to verify her address.
The victim was allegedly forced at gunpoint into a vehicle, where her hands were tied and her mouth was taped shut. Jackson, Holmes, and Tromp reportedly assisted in physically restraining the victim when she attempted to escape. This attempt ultimately led to her confinement in a dog cage in Reed’s backyard.
The victim was eventually able to set herself free from the dog cage and sought help from a resident on Barnett Place in Pine Hills, Florida. The neighbor promptly contacted the authorities to help bring her kidnappers to justice and provide aid for the captured woman. The Orange County Sheriff’s Office dispatched deputies to the scene.
In addition to kidnapping charges, online jail records indicate that Jackson is also facing a charge of failure to appear on a previous petit theft retail charge. As of Monday, no further updates on the case were available.