Two persons were detained after a woman was found inside a truck with her hands taped together and her head half covered by a bag.
Charges of attempted first-degree murder, kidnapping, unlawful restraint, and aggravated domestic abuse are brought against Mack Varnum, 45, and Nichole Cloutier, 36.
At around 11:30 a.m. on February 23, authorities were called to an address on Bay Street in St. Johnsbury Village, Vermont, in response to a report of a “woman in a vehicle who had her hands bound together with duct tape and her head partially covered with a bag and duct tape,” according to a press release from the Vermont State Police.
For medical attention, the woman was brought to a neighboring hospital.
The woman was allegedly picked up by Varnum and Cloutier from the side of the road close to Varnum’s Peacham house, “at which point she was physically restrained and tied,” according to investigators.
According to the press announcement, “the victim was driven in the Peacham and Danville area and restrained for several hours, while her life was threatened.” The victim was at one point left in the truck by herself, which gave her the opportunity to release herself and use the vehicle to flee.
Police claim that she arrived in St. Johnsbury Village via car.
Authorities detained Varnum and Cloutier at his house the following day.
At the Northeast Regional Correctional Facility, both defendants are being held without bond.
Their arraignment is slated for February 27.