CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. A woman kidnapped in Clarksville was taken to a hotel in Louisiana, where she was beaten, raped and held against her will until she got access to her attacker's phone and sent a text message to her sister, leading Slidell (La.) Police to rescue her.
Sgt. Daniel M. Seuzeneau of the Slidell Police Department said the text message sent to the victim's sister Saturday said the victim did not know where she was but that she was being held against her will in a hotel somewhere near New Orleans. That text allowed police to track the phone's location to a hotel, where the victim was freed from the "terrifying ordeal."
Seuzeneau said the woman was kidnapped from Clarksville, and authorities here had identified Lee Meadows, 34, of Clarksville as a suspect.
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Slidell Police Chief Randy Smith praised the victim and police in Clarksville.
"Had it not been for the determination of the victim to survive, and the swift actions by Tennessee authorities and the officers at the Slidell Police Department, we could easily be working a homicide right now," Smith said. "Hopefully our criminal justice system will put Mr. Meadows away for a long time to where he won't be able to hurt anyone ever again."
