LANHAM, Md. — A man is facing kidnapping charges after Maryland State Troopers found a naked woman in his U-Haul truck during a traffic stop turned police pursuit. Now, court documents are giving more insight into what happened that night.
According to Maryland State Police, troopers received a report of a U-Haul rental truck with Arizona tags driving erratically and hitting multiple parked cars near Princess Garden Parkway in Lanham around 9:45 p.m. Friday.
Police Pursuit Begins
Court documents show troopers located the U-Haul truck and attempted to pull it over but the driver refused and fled. Troopers report the truck was "all over the road, driving into opposing traffic lanes, swerving, running red lights, speeding, impeding traffic, striking property and vehicles, and operating recklessly."
Troopers from Forestville and College Park chased after the truck for around 20 minutes until it stopped near the intersection of Baltimore Avenue and Elm Street.
According to court documents, troopers walked towards the stopped U-Haul and ordered the driver to get out at gunpoint. As one trooper walked toward the passenger side, they noticed a woman in the vehicle who was holding her hands up while trying to get out of the truck.
Found Naked & Stabbed
The trooper reportedly ordered the woman to get out of the vehicle and found she was naked. Once out of the U-Haul, the trooper covered the woman in a police jacket as the woman yelled she did not know the driver and that he had forced her into the vehicle.
Court documents say the woman told troopers she had been forced into the truck while at a convenience store in D.C. and that the driver threatened to kill her before stabbing her in the hand with a knife and making her take off her clothing. She added the man had told her he was taking her to South Carolina when Troopers arrived.
Who Was Driving?
The U-Haul driver then attempted to leave again but drove off the roadway causing the truck to get stuck in the mud.
Troopers claim the man refused to comply with demands to stop and get out of the truck but they were able to extract him from the passenger side. Officials asked the man his name but he would reportedly only tell them he was either "Santa Claus," "Fred Sanford," "Napoleon Dynamite," or "Al."
The driver was later identified as 62-year-old Dennis Bell.
Troopers say Bell exhibited signs of impairment and claim he was driving under the influence. During his arrest, troopers reportedly found suspected crack cocaine and smoking devices.
Both Bell and the woman he is accused of kidnapping were taken to Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center for treatment.
Victim Tells Her Story
The woman spoke with investigators at the medical center. She said she was at a convenience store off Minnesota Avenue around 10 a.m. when she saw Bell pull up next to her in the U-Haul truck. She said she had never seen Bell before and "did not know anything about him."
A short time later, the victim said Bell walked around the truck to "sneak up" behind her before pushing her into the truck. She explained that she did not want to go but instead had been forced with both of his hands on her back.
Once inside the U-Haul, the victim said Bell threatened to kill her while showing a knife he would later use to stab her in the right hand. He then reportedly told her to place her hands on the floor of the U-Haul and sit on the floorboard between the seats so that she could not be seen.
Court documents go on to say the victim watched as the suspect muttered to himself and smoked crack cocaine before he forced her to take her clothes off at knife-point.
The victim complied and said Bell told her he was taking her to South Carolina and if she went with him she would be okay "but if she tried to escape she would die."
Bell then drove around with the woman, before parking at a Home Depot to buy paint for some unknown reason, according to court documents. He reportedly told the victim that if she tried to leave the truck he would kill her and placed a walker against the door.
When investigators asked the woman what she thought he was planning to do with her, she said she didn't know and didn't want to think about it but that it was not going to be good.
The woman told investigators Bell drove around with her in the U-Haul all day and she believed he was taking her to South Carolina. When she noticed police attempting to pull them over, she said she told him "let me the f*** out."
The victim then told investigators she would answer more questions later as she was in too much pain to talk anymore about what she had been through.
Who is Dennis Bell?
When investigators attempted to speak with Bell, they found him sleeping and he would not respond to anyone who tried to talk to him. At this point, he had still not given any information regarding his actual identity. A fingerprint scan not only gave investigators his ID but also alerted them to the fact that he does not possess a valid license and has multiple open warrants for his arrest.
Bell was later arrested and taken to the Upper Marlboro Department of Corrections.
Anyone who may have witnessed the alleged kidnapping or has relevant information regarding the investigation is urged to contact the Criminal Enforcement Division via email at william.costello@maryland.gov or contact the College Park Barrack. All calls and emails may remain confidential.
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