A Wisconsin woman has been charged with kidnapping and beating a man she allegedly held captive for more than two months while claiming she was working on behalf of the government and would one day be president.
Lori Anne Holton, 56, is accused of kidnapping, first-degree recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon, intentionally subjecting an individual to risk/abuse, false imprisonment, strangulation/suffocation, operating a vehicle without the owner’s consent and theft, reported the Wisconsin State Journal.
According to a criminal complaint, the unidentified male victim was repeatedly beaten by Holton while he was mainly kept in one room of a house between June 22 and September 7, 2020.
West Salem Police Officer Brett Myers said that during this period, the man was hit by Holton “97 times, kicked 10 times, elbowed four times, tased 15 times, choked three times, had knife held to his throat, hot coffee thrown on him and spat on,” reported WXOW.
The alleged victim said Holton told him she worked with the CIA, FBI, and Army Rangers and that “he had been told over and over that she would cause harm to him and his family so much, that he was truly believing that she would follow through with harming him.”
The criminal complaint said that at one point during the ordeal, a man spoke to the victim on the phone and told him: “Let Lori do whatever she wants because she is very important to the agency.”
Holton is also alleged to have stolen a number of items from the man, including his vehicle, an iPad, an iPhone and a laptop, as well as taking his credit cards to purchase other goods.
The man handed power of attorney to Holton, which included the financial operations of his business.
The victim estimates that Holton took $20,000 from the business, which she had promised to pay him back “after she was elected president.”
Documents filed with the Federal Election Commission show that Holton had indeed completed a statement of candidacy to run as an independent candidate for president in October 2019.
The man reportedly escaped on September 7, 2020, after his son came to the residence where he was being held.
A warrant was put out for Holton’s arrest on October 9. The suspect reportedly fled to Minneapolis in the man’s vehicle before returning to West Salem. She was detained by West Salem police on January 19.
She is due to appear in court to face the charges on February 2.
West Salem Police have been contacted for comment.
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