A Missouri woman was held captive in a basement room for a month and repeatedly raped before she escaped while wearing a dog collar, authorities said.
Timothy M. Haslett of Excelsior Springs, a suburb of Kansas City, was arrested Friday and appeared in court Tuesday where a judge entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf.
He is charged with first-degree rape or attempted rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault. He is being held on $500,000 bond and told the court on Tuesday that he needs a public defender to represent him.
STANFORD UNIVERSITY EMPLOYEE DRAGGED INTO BASEMENT AND RAPED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
Authorities were called to a home Friday and were told the victim was wearing a metal collar with what appeared to be a padlock on the front, and a trash bag. She said she had been held in Haslett's home since September after she had been picked up.
She said she was kept in a small room in his basement and was whipped and raped repeatedly.
Police removed the lock which they said was restricting the woman’s breathing. She pointed out the home where she was held as she was being driven to the hospital, according to a probable cause statement from a detective.
"He kept her restrained in handcuffs on her wrists and ankles. She was able to get free when he took his child to school," the probable cause statement said.
Police are still trying to determine if there are other victims. The Kansas City Star reported that since Haslett's arrest, police have carried large bags of evidence from the ranch-style home. They've used a cadaver dog to examine the yard and Haslett's truck.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
