James Angel, Nicole Sawyer and Patrick Banks: Trio who stabbed and mutilated victim with crosses arrested
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MADISON COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA: According to North Carolina authorities, three people are charged with kidnapping a victim in Madison County, beating them, carving crosses into their body, and tying them to a chair with barbed wire. The Madison County Sheriff's Office reported that it had received information over the weekend of a person who showed up at a residence in the East Fork area on Sunday, February 19, and claimed to have been kidnapped.
Deputies were called to a home in Madison County, where they reportedly discovered a victim who had been stabbed in the face, body, and arms. The victim, according to deputies, also had several "cross symbols" etched into their body and face. The victim was rushed to the hospital to receive medical attention for their wounds, per reports from Law & Crime.
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Who are the three accused?
James Angel, 19, Nicole Sawyer, 18, and Patrick Colby Banks, 24, were all arrested in connection with the incident. Along with the officers, detectives from the sheriff's office scoured the neighborhood and located the house where they said the kidnapping took place.
Buddy Harwood, the sheriff of Madison County, posted on his Facebook page that Banks was wanted for a parole infraction and wanted on a felony warrant. Also, Angel was reportedly wanted for larceny and drug possession in another county. The sheriff's office then carried out a home search warrant, reported WABI 5.
"Madison County Sheriff’s Detectives and Deputies canvased the area and located the residence where it occurred. Detectives located Patrick Banks, James Angel, and Nicole Sawyer at the residence. Patrick was wanted by Probation and Parole for a Parole Violation and had a Felony warrant for his arrest for cutting off a probation electronic monitoring device. James had a warrant for Larceny and Possession of Marijuana from another county." he wrote in the post.
What does the sheriff have to say?
Detectives discovered the victim was held captive in the basement and had their hands bound with barbed wire to a chair over the course of the inquiry. The victim's chest was reportedly fastened to a beam and their feet were bound together with barbed wire. The victim's mouth was gagged with tape, as per detectives.
Harwood said that the victim reportedly had several cuts to their face and hands as a result of being repeatedly slashed by various knives, punched and kicked in the head, hit with multiple weapons, slammed with a crowbar, and punched and kicked in the head.
Three individuals were reportedly arrested in relation to the kidnapping. Charges against Banks, Angel, and Sawyer included first-degree kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon intended to cause significant bodily injury, and possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Banks was also accused of having a handgun in his possession being a convicted criminal, as per CBS 17.