A Beckley man is at Southern Regional Jail on multiple felony counts including kidnapping and malicious wounding after holding another man against his will in a dog kennel.
According to the criminal complaint, Joshua Aaron Lafferty, 32, was arrested on Saturday, May 22 by members of the Beckley Police Department and the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department Special Response Team after a call came in that stated he was keeping a badly injured man in a dog kennel inside his home on Foster Avenue.
The complaint states that upon arrival, officers found the male victim “badly injured, suffering from multiple lacerations, contusions, and what appeared to be a broken arm.” The victim was transported by EMS to a local hospital.
During a search of the home, officers found a large dog kennel “covered in blood, copious amounts of suspected blood strewn throughout several rooms, rags and cleaning materials covered in suspected blood, and other items,” the complaint continues.
The victim later stated that he was being “held against his will while the suspects demanded a payment of currency; he also confirmed that Josh Lafferty actively participated in these acts and had caused a portion of his injuries by beating him with a shovel at one point during his captivity,” the complaint alleges.
Lafferty was taken to Southern Regional Jail on one felony count of kidnapping, one felony count of malicious wounding and one felony count of conspiracy to commit a felony. No bond has been set.
