A 40-year-old man from Excelsior Springs, Missouri, named Timothy M. Haslett, has been charged with nine counts of serious crimes, including rape, sodomy, kidnapping, assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. The charges were brought against him after a grand jury indictment was announced by Clay County Prosecuting Attorney, Zachary Thompson.
Haslett is currently being held at the Clay County Detention Center with a $3 million bond. If he is found guilty of the charges, he faces up to five life sentences and an additional 36 years in prison.
The charges stem from a shocking incident that took place in October, where a woman claimed to have been held captive in Haslett’s basement for a month and was repeatedly sexually assaulted. The woman was able to escape the basement when Haslett left the house to take his child to school and ran to a neighbor’s home for help.
According to court documents, the child endangerment charge against Haslett is related to leaving unsecured weapons accessible to the child. The prosecutor, Zachary Thompson, declined to comment on whether there may be other victims involved in the case.
The investigation into the case has been extensive, with law enforcement officers following over 100 leads and spending over 1,200 hours on the case. However, the investigation continues, and the authorities are still looking for a potential witness, 36-year-old Jaynie M. Crosdale, who has information about the case.
The bravery of the victim and the tireless efforts of 16 different agencies have led to the indictment of Haslett. It is the responsibility of the community to ensure that justice is served, and the prosecutor emphasized this in a recent news conference.
The next court hearing for Haslett is scheduled for Friday, and his public defender, Tiffany Leuty, has not yet commented on the case.