A Poplar Bluff bank teller and loan officer helped an alleged kidnapping victim escape three suspects who had held the individual captive over the course of two days.
Poplar Bluff police say three people are now in custody from the incident, and an investigation continues.
A 35-year-old Poplar Bluff resident was allegedly held against his/her will and physically assaulted at a residence on Park Street in Poplar Bluff beginning on the evening of March 23, said Lt. Josh Stewart. Police are not releasing any additional information regarding the victim.
Sometime on March 24, the victim was transported to a local bank and instructed to withdraw an unspecified amount of money to settle up a debt, police officers report.
The victim attempted to do so by filling out a loan application. The individual then used that to alert the teller with a note of the situation.
The teller directed the individual to a loan officer, who was able to get the person to an office alone, Stewart said. Poplar Bluff police were notified and responded to the scene.
Upon arrival, officers discovered the suspects had fled the bank and an investigation was mounted. The victim was known to the suspects and displayed no injuries from the kidnapping that required medical treatment.
Through the course of the investigation, a search warrant was executed at in the 900 Block of Park Street, where a quantity of suspected illegal narcotics and drug paraphernalia were seized, along with evidence of the assault, police report.
As a result of the investigation, three arrests were made on unrelated outstanding warrants. Assault, kidnapping, and drug-related charges are pending against the suspects.
Jessica Leann Barnette, 29, of Camden, Tennessee, was arrested on a Butler County warrant for second-degree burglary. She was transported to the Butler County Jail where she was held and released on her own recognizance.
Fredrick Anthony Meyer, 31, of the 700 block of Poplar, was arrested on a Butler County warrant for parole violation and is being held at the Butler County Jail.
Zakary Lane Gilliland, 22, of the 700 block of Riverview, was arrested on a Butler County warrant for possession of a controlled substance and is being held at the Butler County Jail.
The Poplar Bluff Police Department reports that this is an active investigation, and more arrests are anticipated.