IONIA COUNTY, Mich. — A Roseville man is in custody after reportedly kidnapping and assaulting an Ionia County woman on Halloween morning.
The Ionia County Sheriff’s Office (ICSO) says the man rented a van and pulled into an area near the victim’s home and watched her as she left to take her children to school. After she was gone, the suspect went inside her home and shut off the main power to the building, deputies explain.
When the victim returned, the suspect attacked her as she investigated the power outage, authorities tell FOX 17. They say she came up with a plan several hours later and persuaded the suspect to grab something from his car with her.
Afterward, the victim got into her car with the suspect in the passenger seat, pulling into a gas station while stating she needed to put air in one of her tires, according to ICSO. We’re told she left the vehicle and walked into the gas station pleading for help, saying she had been abducted and raped.
Employees called 911, to which deputies quickly responded and arrested the suspect.
As the events played out, deputies say they also received a report from the victim’s neighbor who said she had received a text message reading “HELP” and that the victim had endured domestic issues that involved her ex-boyfriend.
The sheriff’s office says they found binoculars, pepper spray, knives and restraints in the suspect’s possession, as well as firearms and other items connected to the plot.
Authorities have identified the suspect as 52-year-old Kurt Gene Franklyn, who has been lodged at the Ionia County Jail without bond.
Franklyn has since been charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree home invasion, unlawful imprisonment and domestic assault, deputies add. He faces up to life in prison if convicted of the sexual assault charge alone.
