Oklahoma man kidnaps woman, beats her up and forces her to work at strip club so she could make money for him
CHEROKEE COUNTY, KANSAS: A man from Oklahoma allegedly kidnapped a woman and forced her to dance at a strip club so she could make money for him, according to police.
Authorities have said that 29-year-old Gary Ballard who is from Tulsa, Oklahoma, also allegedly hurt the woman, who is said to be 23 years old.
According to a statement by the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office, the police came to know that a woman from Coweta, Oklahoma, who had been reported missing on December 6, could be in the area. The investigators went in search of the woman and located her at a strip club.
Authorities said that the woman had been reportedly driven by someone from Tulsa and that he had "physically beat her, forced her to dance for money which he took".
The accused is also said to have "preventing her from leaving or contacting her family." He had driven her to Cherokee County, Kansas, in the state's southeastern corner.
Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said, "The man who is suspected of repeatedly and violently hurting this woman before transporting her across state lines for the purposes of making him money has a violent past including a conviction of Shooting with Intent to Kill in Oklahoma."
"I'm thankful our investigators were able to remove the woman from this situation, get her back to her family, and apprehend the suspect without incident," Groves said.
"This case illustrates the importance for people to know there are resources available to help get them out of dangerous, violent or abusive relationships and situations," added Sheriff Groves.
He is currently being held in the Cherokee County Jail on charges of Aggravated Human Trafficking and Aggravated Kidnapping. His bail was set to $200,000. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888 and the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 1-800-799-7233.