A 39-year-old man who kidnapped a 19-year-old student has asked the judge to release him from prison so he could spend Christmas with his children.
Brent Brown from Utah made his initial court appearance on Thursday after he abducted Snow College student Madelyn Allen, who was found naked in the basement of his home.
The kidnapper allegedly took away Allen’s phone and wallet, forced her to undress before tying her up, claiming it was part of a role-play.
Judge Wallace Lee ordered him held without bail but the father pleaded with him to release him so he could be with his children this Christmas.
“It would be nice to be home for Christmas,” Brown said. “I don’t get to see my kids.”
The 39-year-old kidnapper is scheduled to return in court on January 10 for combined detention and preliminary hearing.
Allen met Brown online and agreed to meet him on December 13. Security video from the Snow College dorm showed her leaving at around 9:20 pm.
But when she did not return home the next day, her worried roommates immediately filed a missing person report, The Salt Lake City Tribune reported.
According to the affidavit, Brown allowed Allen to text her family the words ‘I love you,’ a message that prompted them to call the police.
Brown allegedly took her phone and wallet away, threatened to ‘come after her family and sister’ if she were to tell anyone about the kidnapping, and tied her up while he was at work.
During a press conference on Saturday, Allen’s parents shared how they fell to their knees after receiving a call from the police informing them that the teen has been found.
Her father, Jonathan Allen, said: “We got the phone call and (the police chief) said, ‘I have her.’ We dropped to our knees. We were so grateful, elated. We couldn’t describe the feelings that we had as we embraced each other.”
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