BENTON COUNTY, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Pea Ridge man was arrested on Oct. 11 for allegedly kidnapping a woman and holding her hostage for months.
Michael Lane, 25, was arrested for intimidating a witness, two counts of kidnapping, one count of simultaneous possession of drugs and firearms, one count of possession of cocaine, one count of possession of marijuana and three counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a woman reported to the Pea Ridge Police Department on Oct. 9 that her daughter was being held captive by Lane at 403 Cherry Street.
The woman told police that on Sept. 16, her daughter contacted her and stated she had been held captive by Lane for around three months. She said that she was confined in a room and not allowed to leave the house.
The victim told her mother that she was able to escape the house at one point and hid in someone’s backyard until she eventually made her way to a women’s shelter. She did not want to report this to the police for fear of retaliation.
The mother went to the police because she had been in contact with her daughter every day since her escape until she lost contact with her on Sept. 29. The two had plans to meet at a church function, but her daughter never arrived.
The mother said that Lane had been arrested for assaulting and kidnapping her daughter in March 2023, and that Lane was physically abusive.
The mother told police that Lane held her daughter captive to keep her from testifying in a court hearing for the previous arrest.
Police spoke with neighbors, one of which claimed they saw two men from 403 Cherry Street carrying a large black garbage bag and put the bag into a red vehicle.
On Oct. 10, the Pea Ridge Police Department, Benton County Sheriff’s Office and the Bentonville Police Department executed a search warrant at Lane’s residence.
During the search, several items were found suggesting that the victim had been in the house.
Court documents say that there were also notes written that suggested a person may have been held there with limited freedom to come and go.
Several items of drug paraphernalia were seized as well as a 473 ml bottle of codeine, a Schedule V narcotic.
A separate search warrant was executed at 15076 Crawford Point Road in Rogers on Oct. 11. During this search, the victim was recovered.
The victim was interviewed by police and said that on an unknown date in the summer months of 2023, Lane had taken her to the house on 403 Cherry Street.
Lane told her that she needed to remain in a room in the house with the lights off and to not make any noise.
Lane took her phone and would not let her contact anyone outside the residence. He reportedly threatened her with physical violence if she attempted to leave the house.
The victim told police that she was kept in one particular room in the house for months with no contact with anyone except Lane. If she made too much noise or turned on a light, she was either threatened with violence or verbally ridiculed.
She stated that Lane told her to not contact anyone until after the kidnap charge hearing had passed.
The victim told police that she would listen for opportunities to escape the house. On one occasion, she decided to run out the back door of the house. She made it to a neighbor’s backyard and could hear Lane call for her to return.
She was able to hide herself from Lane until an acquaintance of his took her back around Sept. 29.
Court documents say that she was held captive again at the Cherry Street address and then moved to the Crawford Point address until her recovery.
Lane is being held in Benton County on a $1 million bond. He has a hearing scheduled for Nov. 20.
