LAKE CITY, Fla. – Columbia County deputies have arrested a man on kidnapping charges that appeared to be related to illegal drug activity.
Jason Wilson, 18, of Lake City, was charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and aggravated assault after investigators said he kidnapped a man at gunpoint and held him against his will.
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According to the arrest report, deputies were called to a home at an undisclosed location in reference to a disturbance involving a man armed with a gun. A perimeter was established around the house and deputies used a loudspeaker to order the people inside the house to come out, the report said. The kidnapping victim was at a home next door and was able to give deputies a description of the suspect who was still on the scene.
Deputies eventually made contact with Wilson and a woman at the house’s front porch after giving them commands to come out with their hands up.
According to the report, everything started when the woman with Wilson arrived at the victim’s home and asked him to ride with her to a local pub to retrieve something she had lost the night before.
At some point during the drive to the pub, the woman pulls the car into a slit in a wooded area where, according to the arrest report, Wilson jumped out in front of the car with a pistol in his hand while wearing a ski mask and a ballistic vest. According to the arrest report, Wilson said he was going to shoot the victim for snitching on him to a drug dealer he owed $400. The report states the drug dealer put a hit out on Wilson.
All three reportedly drove to an undisclosed home where the victim was reportedly not allowed to leave. The arrest report states that while inside the home, Wilson told the victim he needed to be honest because “He didn’t want to have to do it multiple times.”
It’s unclear how the victim got out of the house uninjured, but deputies say they located a loaded gun and a ballistic vest.
Wilson remains in jail on a $250,000 bond.