A Stow man is being held at the Summit County Jail after a panicked woman and her male friend told police he kidnapped her and assaulted her friend.
John B. Crawford, 25, of Marcella Avenue, is charged with kidnapping, assault and unlawful restraint. He’s being held on $250,000 bond for each charge, according to jail records.
Police were alerted to Crawford’s alleged activity on March 29 at about 9 p.m. The woman, 24, called Cuyahoga Falls police to report he kidnapped her.
“John Crawford is in front of my parents’ house with a knife,” the woman screamed to dispatchers in the 911 call. “He just kidnapped me.”
The 911 call cut off, though, and several attempts to call back failed. When dispatchers finally reached her again, they said they were in the parking lot of the Stow police department. Stow officers forwarded the case to Munroe Falls police, where the incident allegedly began.
Munroe Falls police reported they arrested Crawford on Gaylord Drive, where he was “screaming and basically incoherent.”
According to reports, Crawford threatened the woman and kidnapped her, forcing her to drive and attempting to get cash from various places. Eventually, her 30-year-old male friend confronted Crawford, and police said Crawford responded by attacking him.
On Facebook, Crawford made a post from the jail maintaining his innocence.
“I’m innocent, I promise,” he wrote. “I’m taking it to trial.”
According to court records, Crawford has a long criminal record. He’s faced charges of assault, robbery, burglary, grand theft, aggravated menacing, failure to comply with police orders, receiving stolen property, endangering children, driving under suspension, willful fleeing, resisting arrest, obstructing official business, drug abuse and housing code violations.
Nick Glunt can be reached at 330-996-3565 or nglunt@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickGluntABJ.