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Kentucky man kept NC teen locked behind trapped door, arrest citation says

The 16-year-old girl was found inside a trap door hidden under a rug in Zackary Jones' bedroom, according to Kentucky deputies.

LINCOLN COUNTY, Ky. — A man accused of taking a teenager from North Carolina to be trapped in his home in Kentucky is facing over a dozen charges.

The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office in Kentucky says Zackary Jones, 34, kept a 16-year-old girl behind a trapped door in his home for two to three weeks. Police were called to the home on Dec. 25 after Jones' mother reported a domestic violence altercation to the sheriff's office between Jones and "his girlfriend," according to an arrest citation.

Jones told deputies when they arrived that the girl was not at the home. Deputies found drug paraphernalia in the home and took Jones into custody, according to the citation.

Deputies continued to search the home and found the teenager inside a trap door that was hidden under a rug in the bedroom, according to the citation. 

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The girl told deputies that Jones sexually assaulted her and was using crack cocaine with her. Deputies learned that the teenager was reported missing in Fayetteville in early December.

Jones told deputies that he picked up the girl from her home in Fayetteville and admitted to doing sexual acts with the teenager, according to the citation.

The teenager told authorities that Jones told her he was 19 years old when he drove to meet her. She learned his real age when they arrived at his home in Kentucky where he threatened her and told her to tell his family that she was 18, according to the citation.

While Jones was driving the teenager to Kentucky, they were stopped by a Lincoln County deputy for a traffic violation, according to the citation. The teenager says Jones told her he would shoot the deputy if they were asked to get out of the vehicle.

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Jones is facing over a dozen charges, including: 

  • Rape
  • Sodomy
  • Proc or prom use of minor by electronic means
  • Terroristic threatening
  • Assault
  • Strangulation
  • Two charges of Unlawful transaction with a minor
  • Resisting arrest
  • Unlawful imprisonment
  • Buying or possessing drug paraphernalia
  • Possession of a controlled substance
  • Tampering with physical evidence

The arrest citation says that the teenager's guardian will be facing charges in North Carolina. At this time, it's unclear what those charges are.

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