LINCOLN COUNTY, KY – A disturbing rescue operation unfolded on Christmas Day in Kentucky when a 16-year-old girl reported missing from North Carolina since early December was found concealed behind a trap door in a man’s home. The man, 34-year-old Zackary Jones, is facing a plethora of serious charges, including rape and assault.
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office deputies discovered the locked trap door, hidden beneath a rug in Jones’ bedroom, while responding to a domestic dispute call at his residence. The call was initiated by Jones’ mother and reportedly involved an altercation between her son and his “girlfriend.”
Upon their arrival, Jones denied the girl’s presence, but the deputies proceeded to arrest him after spotting visible drug paraphernalia. Once Jones was safely detained in a patrol car, officers embarked on a search for the “girlfriend.” The ensuing search led them to a youth who, upon discovery, appeared to be intoxicated and turned out to be the missing teen from North Carolina.
According to an arrest citation, the victim alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by Jones, who had also supplied her with crack cocaine. The victim disclosed that Jones initially misrepresented his age as 19 when he made contact and persuaded her to accompany him back to Kentucky. Soon after, she learned his true age, and he reportedly forced her to lie to his family about her age, stating she was 18.
In a chilling revelation, the citation also recounts an incident where Jones allegedly threatened to shoot a police officer who had pulled them over for a traffic violation while they were en route from North Carolina. As per the citation, Jones confessed to engaging in sexual activity with the teen after her abduction.
Jones is currently facing charges that include rape, sodomy, strangulation, assault, terroristic threatening, unlawful imprisonment, and unlawful transaction with a minor, among other drug-related offences. The ongoing case may attract additional charges, possibly extending to his connections in North Carolina.