A man kidnapped his ex-girlfriend near the University of South Florida just over a month after the last time he was accused of kidnapping her, authorities said.
Jahvontae Bell, 26, is charged with armed kidnapping , battery and four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
At around 1:30 a.m. on July 18, two people pulled up in a black Nissan and forced a 25-year-old woman into the car, witnesses told deputies.
An 18-hour manhunt ensued, ending in the discovery of Bell and the woman as they were leaving a shed near a home in Largo, deputies said.
Bell is currently in custody in Pinellas County, and his attorney information was not available July 19.
This marks the second time in just over a month that Bell has kidnapped his ex-girlfriend, authorities said.
As part of the previous event, a mutual friend reached out to the woman and struck up a conversation over social media. The woman told deputies she was concerned Bell “might be orchestrating a plot to abduct her due to past concerns with Bell’s violent behavior,” according to an affidavit from the Clearwater Police Department.
It turns out the woman was actually communicating with Bell using a fake account Bell had set up in his friend’s name. Later, she began communicating over Snapchat directly with that man, who hasn’t been charged.
On June 14, the woman said she met up with the friend on her break from work and got in his car.
As they were talking, Bell ran up and got in the car, and an altercation ensued, police said. She tried getting into the driver’s seat and honking the horn to get someone’s attention, but Bell grabbed her, pulled her into the backseat and wrapped his arms around her, police said.
The driver told police a similar story but said he agreed to help Bell get in touch with the woman because he thought they were going to discuss child custody issues.
Once the woman was restrained, the driver took the two of them to Bell’s pickup truck at an apartment complex, police said. Bell escorted the woman into his own truck, and the two vehicles drove away separately, according to investigators.
Bell took her to his brother’s apartment and walked her into the living room, where he tried to discuss “relationship issues,” with the woman until eventually they fell asleep, the woman told police.
In the morning, the woman said she repeatedly asked Bell what was he going to do with her, police said. Bell’s family knocked on the door, and while he was busy talking to them, she slipped away, according to police.
A warrant was issued for Bell’s arrest June 24, but he wasn’t taken into custody until the second incident, Pinellas County records show.
Largo is in the Tampa Bay area, about a 35-mile drive southwest from USF.
If you are experiencing domestic violence and need someone to talk to, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for support at 1-800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788.
Man kidnaps woman, goes to prison and kidnaps her again after release, Florida cops say
Young girls stop man from kidnapping 6-year-old near ice cream truck, WA cops say
‘Infuriated’ boyfriend waterboarded, raped girlfriend for days in dorm room, MN cops say
Most Popular
Comments / 0