Insets, left to right: Chris Lamar Cochran, Leland Charles Lewis, and Grace Elizabeth Amanda Johnson (Maryland State Police). Background: The street the victim was spotting running down after allegedly escaping his abductors (Google Maps).
Certain residents in a Maryland suburb were shocked last week when they saw a man whose hands were tied behind his back running down the middle of the road in the middle of morning rush hour. Authorities are now saying that the man was kidnapped and held against his will for more than 20 hours while he was repeatedly beaten at the hands of three individuals before he was able to escape.
Chris Lamar Cochran, 48, Grace Elizabeth Amanda Johnson, 38, and Leland Charles Lewis, 48, all of Darlington, Maryland, were taken into custody and charged with a spate of crimes in connection to the alleged violent abduction.
Cochran is facing one count each of kidnapping, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and false imprisonment. Johnson is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and false imprisonment. Lewis is charged with first and second-degree assault, false imprisonment, and reckless endangerment.
According to a news release from the Maryland State Police, troopers with the organization’s Bel Air Barrack responded to a call regarding suspicious activity at about 8:20 a.m. on Monday, March 10, in the area of 4200 Conowingo Road, about 45 miles northeast of Baltimore.
State police said they received at least one report about “a male with his hands bound behind his back” who was “running down the middle of the road.”
Upon arriving at the scene, first responders made contact with the victim who stated that he “had been assaulted and subsequently held captive.”
“The victim advised that he had been left unattended that morning and was able to escape,” the release states. “The victim was flown to the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center by Maryland State Police Aviation Command.”
Following an “initial investigation,” investigators said they were able to identify the suspects in the abduction as Cochran, Johnson and Lewis.
Charging documents obtained by Baltimore ABC affiliate WMAR provided additional details about the alleged crime.
According to the report, the victim, whose name has not been released, told authorities that on Sunday morning, March 9, he was on his way to meet up with his girlfriend’s brother to help him fix his car. At some point, he said the three individuals grabbed him, beat him up, and left him bound and gagged in a garage for nearly a full day before he was able to escape.
The station reported that the victim was still bound and gagged when he was spotted running in the road. He reportedly suffered a series of injuries, including a possible broken eye socket that required specialized care.
While Cochran is facing the most serious charges, Johnson and Lewis are both accused of seeing the victim being held against his will and not taking any steps to assist him.
Police have not speculated about a possible motive.
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