The two men police allege were the ringleaders of a plot to kidnap a woman in Claremont in January and hold her her for ransom across state lines in Springfield, Vt., have been indicted in New Hampshire on federal charges.
Damarcus Bonner, 30, of Connecticut, and Tyron Harris, 27, of Massachusetts, were scheduled to appear in federal court Tuesday after being charged with interstate kidnapping conspiracy, which carries a penalty of up to life in prison, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice’s New Hampshire.
“They held (the victim) there against her will, tortured and beat the victim, and demanded money from her and others on her behalf,” the release alleged.
Bonner and Harris were arrested in January and had been held in Vermont, where they faced multiple state charges.
The state charges against Bonner and Harris have been dropped now that the men face federal prosecution, deputy state’s attorney Emily Zukauskas said Tuesday.
“It’s basically the exact same set of facts,” Zukauskas said.
In January, a 35-year-old woman met up with a friend in Claremont to purchase drugs only to be pulled into a truck by two men, allegedly Bonner and Harris, according to police affidavits filed in support of the state charges. The vehicle allegedly transported her to a Randall Hill Road residence in Springfield.
In interviews with investigators, the woman described having been waterboarded with peroxide, burned by a hot knife and struck during her approximately two days in captivity, according to police affidavits. The perpetrators accused her of stealing thousands of dollars worth of drugs and used her phone to demand ransom money through Facebook.
When the father of the victim’s child notified law enforcement, Springfield Police were able to locate her and made five arrests, according to police affidavits. The driver of the vehicle taken into custody several days later.
All six defendants pleaded not guilty to state charges. Bonner had been facing nine charges, including four kidnapping charges, two extortion charges, one aggravated assault charge and one heroin trafficking charge. He was also charged with a misdemeanor of possessing a firearm despite being prohibited to do so.
Harris had faced seven total felony charges, including four for kidnapping, two for extortion and one for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He appeared in state court last month, and Judge Elizabeth Mann deemed him unfit for bail based on a weight of the evidence hearing that outlined details of the crime and his alleged involvement.
Matthew Vicinanzo of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Concord is the lead prosecuting attorney. Bonner retained Jaye Rancourt, based in Concord, as his defense attorney, and Harris retained William Dolan, of Chelmsford, Mass.
Bonner’s initial appearance was scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, with Harris’ set for 3:30 p.m., both before U.S. Magistrate Judge Talesha Saint-Marc.
Zukauskas said she still represents the state in the prosecutions against the other defendants.
Jessenialyz Jones, 18, was described by the victim as a primary perpetrator, according to court records. The others accused of being involved are: Sheldon Stocker, 37, a tenant of the Springfield home where the victim was held captive; Nicole Palardy, 36, who was allegedly part of the conspiracy to kidnap the woman; and Jesse Emerson, 46, whom the victim said drove her across state lines.
Those remaining state defendants will continue their pre-trial processes according to schedule, Zukauskas said. If any of the four end up facing federal charges, state prosecutors will reassess their involvement.
