Timothy M. Haslett
A 39-year-old Missouri man was is behind bars for allegedly holding a woman captive in his basement for more than a month, where he’s accused of keeping her hands and feet bound and raping her.
Timothy M. Haslett was taken into custody on Friday and charged with first-degree aggravated rape, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree assault, court documents reviewed by Law&Crime show.
According to a probable cause affidavit, officers with the Excelsior Springs Police Department on Oct. 7 responded to a call about “a female who showed up at the front door wearing a trash bag, metal collar with a padlock, and duct tape around her neck.” The woman — identified in the document by the initials “T.J.” — allegedly told the caller that she had been held against her will at a nearby residence since the previous month.
“Upon the officers’ arrival at the residence, they found T.J. She was wearing latex lingerie and had a metal collar around her neck with a padlock and duct tape around her neck,” the affidavit states. “T.J. advised that a man by the name of Timothy picked her up on Prospect in Kansas City at the beginning of September 2022. She advised Timothy had kept her in a small room in the basement that he had built. He kept her restrained in handcuffs on her wrists and ankles. She was able to get free when he left to take his child to school.”
Excelsior Springs Emergency Medical Services (EMS) removed the collar — described in reports as like a homemade shock collar — from around T.J.’s neck because it was restricting her breathing and transported her via ambulance to Excelsior Springs Hospital. A detective rode in the ambulance with T.J., who said she could point out the residence if they drove past the home. She soon pointed out Haslett’s address located in the 300 block of Old Orchard Street.
“T.J. further advised that Timothy had whipped her while she was restrained,” the affidavit states. “There were injuries on [redacted] back that were consistent with this description. T.J. advised that Timothy had raped her multiple times and frequently while she was held as a hostage.”
Police say they did a records check and found that Timothy Haslett was listed as the resident for the home T.J pointed out. Officers then set up a perimeter around the residence and waited for him to arrive home.
Haslett at approximately 8:41 a.m. arrived back at the residence driving a gray Dodge Ram pickup truck. Officers conducted a felony traffic stop and “took Haslett into custody on an unrelated animal control violation,” per the affidavit.
Associate Clay County Circuit Court Judge Louis Angles issued a search warrant for Haslett’s home. Officers searched the interior and “observed a room in the basement consistent with what T.J. had described.” Investigators also say they found no other victims inside but did recover “numerous” firearms from inside the the home.
Investigators with the Clay County Missouri Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas City Missouri Police Department are assisting police in the investigation.
Authorities have remained tight-lipped about details uncovered in the investigation. The Clay County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday explained the reason for not releasing more details in a Tuesday Facebook post.
“It will take time to interview people involved. It will take time to use that information to see if the suspect in this case is connected to any more crimes. And when those things have happened, there will still be very little law enforcement can share until the case goes to court,” the post read in part. “Because if you want justice for victims and for people who have broken the law, that’s what has to happen.”
The neighbor who let T.J. into her home and called 911 revealed some details about that night in an interview with Kansas City, Missouri NBC affiliate KSHB-TV.
Lisa Johnson reportedly told the station that when she first saw T.J. “hunched over” and crawling up the front steps, she immediately went to call 911, but T.J. became scared and ran next door.
“It frightened her. She told me if I called the cops he’d kill us both,” Johnson reportedly said.
Another neighbor said the victim spoke about friends that Haslett had allegedly killed.
“She made the comment about her friends that they didn’t make it and that he had killed them,” a neighbor reportedly told Kansas City, Missouri CBS affiliate KCTV. “I’m really hoping that they find evidence about her friends. If anything, she can have closure about her friends and know that if something did happen, if she witnessed something with her friends, that they can figure it out. That way she can have closure and know that her friends had justice too.”
Haslett was arraigned on Tuesday and entered a plea of not guilty to the aforementioned charges. He requested a public defender to represent him in the proceedings.
He is currently being held in Clay County Jail on $500,000 bond.
[image via Clay County Sheriff’s Office]
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