Kentucky man arrested after police find missing teen inside trap door hidden under a rug: 34-year-old is accused of taking the girl across state lines from North Carolina, strangling and having drug-fueled sex with her
- Zackary Jones, 34, was arrested after Lincoln County deputies responded to a report of domestic violence at his home on Christmas Day
- Jones opened the door of his home on Robertstown Road in Kings Mountain and told authorities the victim was not there
- However, after Jones was taken into custody on suspicion of drug possession, they found the girl searching through her bedroom in a hatch
A Kentucky man is facing rape and several other serious charges after a missing 16-year-old boy from North Carolina was found in a trapdoor hidden under the carpet of his home.
Zackary Jones, 34, was arrested after Lincoln County deputies responded to a report of domestic violence at his home on Christmas Day.
Jones opened the door of his home on Robertstown Road in Kings Mountain and told authorities the victim was not there.
Officers were led through the home by Jones shortly afterward, according to a police citation.
The officers saw drugs in plain view, which Jones then tried to get rid of in a wood stove in his bedroom.
Zackary Jones, 34, was arrested after Lincoln County deputies responded to a report of domestic violence at his home on Christmas Day
Authorities then took Jones into custody and left him in the backseat of a police vehicle.
They then returned to try to find the missing girl when they saw a trap door hidden under a bedroom rug.
The girl – a missing 16-year-old from Fayetteville, North Carolina who has yet to be identified – was found.
Officers said the victim was “very high” when Jones was arrested.
The 34-year-old man admitted to taking drugs and “engaging in sexual activities” with the girl. The age of consent is 16 in Kentucky.
However, the girl then stated that Jones picked her up from North Carolina and took her back to his home.
She told police that he had contacted her about two to three weeks earlier, claiming he was 19.
When he arrived at her home, she said he looked older and admitted he had lied. However, he then lied again and said he was 25.
Jones opened the door of his home on Robertstown Road in Kings Mountain and told authorities the victim was not there. They soon found her in a hatch in his bedroom under a rug
The victim did not discover Jones' real age until she arrived at his home and met his family.
She told officers that after she discovered this, he threatened her and made her promise to tell anyone who asked that she was 18.
The teen then claimed that Jones was armed with a gun and had repeatedly threatened to kill her.
She also said they were stopped by a Lincoln County sheriff's deputy the night he trafficked her and said he would shoot the officer if he tried to get either of them out of the vehicle.
Jones faces a dozen charges, including rape, sodomy, strangulation, terroristic threats and resisting arrest.
He also said he could potentially face charges in North Carolina WKYT.
Jones is currently being held in a county jail.