Man accused of using torch to torture woman for hours in his West Virginia home
A man is in custody after he was accused of kidnapping a woman and torturing her for hours, West Virginia police say.
The Philippi Police Department said it responded to a 911 call in a neighborhood on Jan. 24 with the Barbour County Sheriff’s Department and the West Virginia State Police.
Barbour County deputies told WDTV they found a woman hiding under a porch when they arrived. She said the 47-year-old man had held her against her will and tortured her after she had tried to leave him earlier in the day.
The man is accused of torturing her for four to five hours before she got away, Philippi police said.
The man sat on the woman, hit her and threatened to kill her, according to court documents obtained by WDTV. The man also burned the woman’s stomach and leg with a torch before she was able to escape through a window and call police, according to the documents, which were also obtained by WBOY.
Police said a “substantial amount of methamphetamine” was discovered at the man’s house.
The man has been charged with kidnapping, but police said more charges are expected as they continue to investigate.
Philippi is in northern West Virginia, about 110 miles south of Pittsburgh.
