Crime
Michigan man arrested after allegedly torturing woman in apartment closet for months
A Michigan man has been arrested on charges that he kept a woman in his closet for months while torturing her in his Clinton Township apartment.
A press release issued by the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office stated that 34-year-old Darren John Dawson arrested after allegedly holding a woman against her will in his apartment over a drug debt. Between November 2023 and April 2024, Dawson allegedly kept her in a closet, torturing her while allegedly stealing Social Security money and food stamps from the 58-year-old victim.
“The victim endured unimaginable suffering in what can only be described as a living nightmare. Our office is committed to seeking justice for her and will pursue every avenue to ensure this individual is held fully accountable for the crimes he allegedly committed,” Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said in a written statement.
Dawson faces charges of torture, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; false imprisonment, a 15-year felony; and theft by receiving $1,000 or more but lower than $20,000, a felony punishable by five years. Following his arraignment, the suspect’s bail was set at $1 million money. If Dawson posts bail, he can be required to wear a GPS leash, don’t have any contact with the victim, and can’t possess any firearms.
The next scheduled probable cause court hearing has been set for August 20, 2024, at 8:30 a.m. by Michigan District Court Judge Jacob Femminineo Jr.
announced that Oakland County attorney Randall Upshaw he said the victim’s story it’s best to not trust the data he obtained.
“When we go to court, we will find that the facts are not accurate or true,” Upshaw said.
“We have a number of neighbours who are willing to speak out on Mr Dawson’s behalf. She claims she was being held in a closet, but we have people who saw her going in and out of the apartment by herself at the time,” he said.