3 arrested after kidnapping, beating, leaving 19-year-old in barn

COLUMBUS, Ind. (WISH) — Three people are facing felony charges for kidnapping, beating, and leaving a 19-year-old in an abandoned barn on the east side of Bartholomew County, police said Tuesday.

Around 2:50 a.m. June 3, deputies with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office were sent to the Columbus Regional Hospital regarding a person saying they were the victim of a violent crime.

Upon arrival, officers spoke with a 19-year-old man from Columbus, who had several lacerations and cuts on his neck and face, a swollen and bleeding lip, and a significant amount of blood on his face.

The man told officers that he accepted an invitation to go out to eat from his acquaintance, Emily Franklin, 18, of Columbus.

He then told police that instead of stopping for any food, Franklin drove them to an abandoned barn on the east side of the county. When they arrived, several masked people pulled the man from the car and into the barn.

The man told investigators that when he was drug into the barn, he was beaten and possibly cut with a knife. After the attack, he was left in the barn.

He was later able to walk to a nearby neighborhood and got help from a resident.

Officers were later able to identify and take three 18-year-olds from Columbus into custody on Saturday for their connection to the incident: Charles Breedlove, Emily Franklin, and Ashton Fields.

Breedlove, Franklin, and Fields are all facing felony charges for kidnapping, robbery, criminal confinement, and aggravated battery.

The three of them were being held at the Bartholomew County jail on a 72-hour hold as of Tuesday afternoon. Information on the condition of the 19-year-old wasn’t immediately available.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to contact Detective Kevin Abner at 812-565-5930.