A 911 caller’s quick thinking led to the rescue of a woman and the arrest of a Clermont man Tuesday morning after screams were heard coming from a white Ford van traveling through Polk County.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office received the emergency call at approximately 6:41 a.m. The witness reported the vehicle near the intersection of US 27 and Sand Mine Road in Davenport and was able to provide dispatchers with a license plate number.
Deputies caught up with the van a short time later at a fire station located at 50945 US 27. Upon arrival, a deputy observed a man standing outside the vehicle while a woman screamed from inside.
Authorities identified the man as 44-year-old David Benjamin Ritchie. The woman inside, an adult relative of Ritchie, told investigators that while she had spent the night in the van voluntarily, the situation turned criminal when she woke up.
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She alleged that Ritchie refused to let her leave or take her home, and threatened to give her a black eye.
Ritchie was arrested and moved to the Sheriff’s Processing Center, where he was charged with first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault.
Following the arrest, deputies discovered that Ritchie was already wanted on several violent felony warrants out of Lake County.
Those charges include battery by strangulation, aggravated battery on a pregnant woman, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He is currently being held in Polk County custody.
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