'A living nightmare': Man kept woman 'in a closet' for months, 'torturing' her while cashing her social security and taking food stamps, prosecutors say

Inset: Darren John Dawson (Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office). Background: The apartment complex where he’s accused of keeping a woman locked in his closet (WJBK).

A 34-year-old man in Michigan has been arrested for allegedly holding a woman captive in his residence for several months, allegedly locking her inside a closet where he repeatedly tortured her while also stealing her government benefits.

Darren John Dawson was taken into custody on Wednesday and charged with one count each of torture, unlawful imprisonment, and larceny by conversion of $1,000 or more but less than $20,000, authorities said.

“The victim endured unimaginable suffering in what can only be described as a living nightmare,” Lucido said in a statement announcing the charges. “Our office is committed to seeking justice for her, and we will pursue every avenue to ensure this individual is held fully accountable for the alleged crimes committed.”

According to a news release from the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, authorities are alleging that from November 2023 until April 2024, Dawson held the victim — a 58-year-old woman whose name has not been released — “against her will and kept her in a closet in his Clinton Township apartment.

Clinton Township is about 25 miles northeast of Detroit.

The release states that Dawsom took the heinous actions against the victim “over a drug debt.” It was not immediately clear It was not immediately clear how much money Dawson believed was owed to him by the victim.

During the time the victim was being held captive — about five months — prosecutors allege that Dawson repeatedly “tortured” the victim while also stealing her food stamps and cashing her Social Security checks.

“This is bizarre,” Lucido said, according to a report from Detroit Fox affiliate WJBK. “That’s how animals are treated. They’re put in pens, but they’re not tortured. That’s the difference. In fact, this is worse treatment than an animal.”

Dawson appeared in 41B District Court in Clinton Township on Thursday, where he pleaded not guilty to the aforementioned charges. Magistrate Judge Ryan Zemke subsequently ordered Dawson to be detained in lieu of $1 million cash or surety bond — no 10%. Should Dawson be released on bond, Zemke ordered him to wear a GPS teacher and prohibited him from having any contact with the victim or possessing a firearm.

He is scheduled to appear in court again for a probable cause conference before District Court Judge Jacob Femminineo, Jr. on Aug. 20, 2024.

If convicted on the torture charge, Dawson could be sentenced to a maximum penalty of life in a state correctional facility. He faces a maximum of 15 years on the unlawful imprisonment charge.

Dawson’s attorney, Randall Upshaw, pushed back against the allegations against his client when speaking with the Detroit Free Press about the case. While Upshaw said he had not had the chance to review much of the evidence from prosecutors but said he’s spoken with his client and others who’ve told him the victim was not kept in a closet and not tortured.

“That’s not accurate, that’s not true,” Upshaw reportedly said regarding the allegations of torture. “I believe my client and I believe the people that support him.”

The post ‘A living nightmare’: Man kept woman ‘in a closet’ for months, ‘torturing’ her while cashing her social security and taking food stamps, prosecutors say first appeared on Law & Crime .