Man arrested after teen reports being kidnapped, tortured

A 58-year-old man was arrested Sunday after a male teenager told his father he was abducted at gunpoint and tortured by someone trying to find out who had robbed the man, police said.

The 15-year-old was walking in the area of Douglas and Grove at about midnight on Saturday or early on Sunday morning when he said he was approached by someone from behind who stuck a gun in his back, Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza said.

The person then led the teen to a garage in the 2300 block of East First Street, where he tied him to a trailer hitch attached to a van, according to a police document on the incident. The suspect then attached jumper cables to the teen’s ears and shocked him repeatedly while questioning him about a recent robbery, Espinoza said.

The man’s wallet had been stolen and he was convinced the teen knew who was responsible for the alleged crime, Espinoza said.

“The victim did say the suspect smelled of alcohol,” he said.

The suspect eventually released the 15-year-old, who walked home and told his father what had happened. Police and EMS were called. The teen was treated at his house and later taken to a local hospital for treatment.

The 58-year-old man was questioned and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail shortly after 8:45 a.m. Sunday on suspicion of aggravated battery and kidnapping.

This story was originally published September 28, 2015 at 12:51 PM with the headline "Man arrested after teen reports being kidnapped, tortured."