PLEASANT VALLEY, W.Va. — A man was found in a Pleasant Valley residence after allegedly being kidnapped and beaten up.
On Oct. 25, officers with the Fairmont Police Department were called in reference to an alleged kidnapping happening at a residence in Pleasant Valley, according to a criminal complaint.
On that date, Justin Gower, 32, of Fairmont, and two other individuals coerced a man into a vehicle with them, officers said. While in the vehicle, Gower hit the man in the head with a “brass knuckle styled weapon” to get the man to give him and the other individuals in the vehicle money, according to the complaint.
The man was then driven to “locations to collect money,” and when he did give Gower and the other individuals some cash, they abandoned him at a house in Pleasant Valley, officers said.
At that point, the man was able to get to a phone and contact his family to request help; that family member then told law enforcement about the situation, according to the complaint.
Gower is charged with kidnapping. He is being held in North Central Regional Jail with no bond.
