Ohio man arrested after woman wakes up in freezer 2 days after house party and claims she was drugged
CLEVELAND, OHIO: A man from Ohio was charged with attempted murder and kidnapping after a woman reportedly escaped from a freezer in his home after being heavily drugged at a party. The East Cleveland Police Department deputies identified the man as 41-year-old Eric Glaze on Wednesday.
The identification of the suspect was done after she escaped from his home in a vehicle shortly before 10 a.m. the same day. Authorities were alerted of the incident after the woman crashed her car close to East 115th Street and Superior Avenue. The woman, who has not been identified, reportedly said her last memory was of her attending a party at the home Sunday night.
The victim reportedly said she woke up in a freezer and after realizing she had not been restrained pushed open the door and fled the home using her own car, which was parked outside. She told authorities Glaze was an acquaintance, Fox 8 reported.
Police Cpt. Scott Gardner released a statement saying: "She came over here on her own volition and essentially, she was administered some sort of narcotic, according to her. She's not exactly certain of the events that happened in between but she woke up and she was in a freezer that was running."
"She seems to think that... that they had drugged her to the capacity that [they believed] she was dead, is what she was indicating to us, and they were essentially trying to get rid of her," he added, before stressing: "Again, we are still trying to piece everything together."
The woman was taken to the MetroHealth Medical Center with multiple injuries, including frostbite. She is now in a stable condition and is not believed to have been sexually assaulted. After recovering, the woman led the authorities to the address where she had attended the party. Officials believe the house may be a group home for people with mental health issues.
Glaze was arrested and is being held at East Cleveland jail according to Cleveland.com. He is set to be arraigned Thursday in the East Cleveland Municipal Court while authorities are investigating the case.