Zackary Jones: Mother's call helps police arrest man after teen is found hidden under trap door in his home
LINCOLN COUNTY, KENTUCKY: A 16-year-old girl who disappeared from her home in North Carolina on December 6, was rescued from a hidden basement under a rug in a Kentucky house on Christmas Day.
Zackary Jones, 34, the man who allegedly kidnapped, raped and assaulted her was arrested after his mother called the police.
Zackary Jones lied about his age and threatened the girl
According to WTVQ, Jones’ mother reported a dispute between her son and his “girlfriend” to the authorities. When the officers arrived, Jones claimed there was no girl in the house, but they noticed drug paraphernalia that he tried to throw into a wooden stove.
They arrested him and searched the house, finding the girl under a trapdoor in his bedroom. Jones was then “restrained” and taken to a patrol car. Officers reentered the home to search for the girl.
The girl was then found inside a trap door that was hidden under a rug in the bedroom. Officers reported the girl was "very high" when she was in the hidden basement.
Zackary Jones strangled the teen and abused her for days
The girl told the sheriff’s office that Jones had sexually abused her, strangled her, threatened to shoot her and used crack cocaine with her, as reported by WCNC. She also said that Jones had lied about his age, saying he was 19, and forced her to tell his family she was 18.
Jones admitted to having sex with the girl multiple times, but denied choking her. The officers observed visible marks on her neck. Jones' mother, Rhonda Jones, according to WRAL-TV, said, "I asked him how old she was. He said, ‘She’s 19.’ So, I took that as the truth," She also said the girl didn't appear to be held against her will.
Zackary Jones used a computer to lure the girl and drove her across states
Jones told an outlet from jail that he had contacted the girl through a computer two to three weeks before picking her up from Fayetteville. He said the girl hid under the trapdoor “on her own free will.” The girl’s grandfather, however, said he believed Jones was trying to find another person to victimize.
The teen also told deputies that Jones had threatened to shoot a police officer who stopped them for a traffic violation on their way back from North Carolina. Jones is facing multiple charges, including rape, sodomy, assault, strangulation, unlawful imprisonment, terroristic threatening, unlawful transaction with a minor and various drug-related counts.
He could face more charges as the investigation continues, including in North Carolina.
