Las Cruces Police arrested a long-haul truck driver suspected of holding a 49-year-old Louisiana woman against her will.
William Joseph Tayler, 54, from Oroville, Calif., is charged with one count each of kidnapping and assault with intent to commit a violent felony.
At around 6:30 a.m. Thursday, June 19, the 49-year-old woman entered the TravelCenters of America, at 202 N. Motel Blvd., and asked a store clerk to call 911. Las Cruces Police arrived and made contact with the woman, and learned that she had been held against her will for at least one day.
Detectives interviewed the woman and discovered that she knew Taylor through her husband who is currently incarcerated in another state. On June 13 Taylor was in Shreveport, La., where he met with the woman and offered her a ride.
Detectives learned that sometime between June 13 and June 18, the woman decided she no longer wanted to ride with Taylor and asked that she be returned home or let out of the truck. Detectives learned that Taylor refused the woman’s requests and instead forced her to remove her clothing so she would not be tempted to leave the rig.
The investigation revealed that during their travels, near Joplin, Missouri, Taylor bound the woman’s hands and feet with duct tape so she could not leave.
On Thursday morning, while Taylor slept, the woman was finally able to clothe herself and leave the rig to seek help.
Taylor was arrested Thursday morning at the TravelCenters of America. He was booked into the Dona Ana County Detention Center with a cash-only bond set at $50,000.
Information from Las Cruces Police