A member of the Salem Planning Board was arraigned in Salem District Court on March 30 on charges that include holding a woman captive for three days and rape, after she willingly came to his home in response to a Craigslist ad, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The defendant, J.G., is being held on bond and his attorney, Mark Stevens, declined to comment as to whether he might post it.
The woman, planning a move from New York to New Hampshire, advertised that she was looking for a “fresh start”.
The woman, 34, arrived at the home of J.G, 48, on March 5. Though she came of her own free will, once inside, she was allegedly held captive for three days and raped.
Windham Police Captain Mike Caron said that J.G. has a record for criminal threatening and criminal mischief. J.G. also has a history of retraining orders – all due to
domestic violence allegations.
After the three days J.G. drove the woman to Logan International Airport in Boston. Police report that once there, instead of boarding a plan, she contacted a Massachusetts state trooper and told him what had happened
On March 9 the woman entered Massachusetts General Hospital for treatment of minor injuries and was later released.
Caron recounted that the woman had communicated a few times with J.G. when he responded to her Craigslist ad. A day or two later she arrived at his home – one that he had rented within the last month.
Caron did not expand upon how the woman was restrained in the home.
J.G. is currently the subject of a protection order, per court officials, filed by a former girlfriend. The woman claims that she received repeated phone calls and text messages.
Once, Salem police arrived at her home early in the morning because J.G. had threatened suicide and that they thought he may also threaten her.
The Associated Press was unable to locate the woman.
After warrants were issued, J.G. was located by police in mid-March at a veteran’s hospital in Brockton, Mass. He had checked himself in, but the reasons were not made clear.
Stevens believes his client was in the hospital for two weeks.
Caron was in touch with Stevens while awaiting J.G.’s surrender. But, Caron said, as days passed, “We weren't comfortable and chose to have him arrested by the Brockton police.”
J.G.’s arraignment was made via video from the Rockingham County jail and he is scheduled for a probable cause hearing in court on April 5.
Per the Chairman of the Salem Planning Board, James Keller, J.G. was elected to the board a year ago and is a self-employed civil engineer. Keller also said that J.G. e-mailed notices to the board to let them now that he couldn’t attend meetings on March 8 and March 22 because of “family matters.”
Keller now feels, in light of the current criminal allegations that “it’s fairly obvious to everyone that he should simply resign and let the town move on.”
The home that J.G. had been residing in was rented to him by the homeowner, Kevin Bleeker, for six months. Bleeker said, “I thought he was pretty reputable.
I should have done a background check. I would have found he had a long history of problems with women.”
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