According to authorities, an Indiana man rear-ended a woman and her baby in the car before attempting to kidnap and rape her.
According to court records, Jason M. Middleton faces charges of attempted rape, attempted armed kidnapping, and criminal confinement with a deadly weapon.
According to a probable cause arrest affidavit obtained by the Greenfield Daily Reporter, Middleton collided with the woman’s vehicle while it was stopped at an intersection near U.S. 52 and County Road 100 West in Hancock County on April 28.
Middleton and the woman got out of their cars, and the suspect allegedly tried to blame the victim for the accident, even though it was clearly his fault.
“What the f— did I do?” he allegedly exclaimed to her. “You just hit me twice, and I have a baby in the car,” the woman replied.
The woman returned to her car and called the police to report the accident and gather her insurance information, according to police.
Dispatchers informed her officers that they were on their way and to call back if the other driver had left the scene, according to Indianapolis Fox Station WXIN.
Then, Middleton allegedly pulled out a gun and threatened to shoot her and her baby if she did not get into his van. According to the affidavit, she began fighting with him over the gun, and he placed his hand on the back of her neck.
The woman informed cops. Middleton told her to “shut the f— up” and “he was going to make her get in the van,” according to police.
A witness reported seeing Middleton and the woman fighting. The victim allegedly yelled, “My baby!”. By this point, other drivers had stopped and assisted the woman.
Middleton reportedly fled in the van, but the victim had written down his license plate before the confrontation. Police reportedly discovered him hiding in a storage container after spotting the vehicle in a nearby county.
When Middleton was arrested, no gun was found, and he reportedly claimed it was the woman who pulled the gun on him, and he fled the scene, fearing “she was gonna shoot me,” according to WXIN, citing court records.
Middleton remains in the Morgan County Jail on a $500,000 bond. His next court date is set for May 21.
