Man who kidnapped multiple women at gunpoint arrested after hunt, Columbia police say

The “armed and dangerous” man Columbia police were searching for was arrested Tuesday night, according to a tweet from the department.

Police say Gregory Bernard Roberts, Jr., kidnapped multiple women and sexually assaulted one.

The 28-year-old is facing charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, first-degree kidnapping, assault and battery, and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime, according to police.

He has been taken to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, police reported.

In early September, Roberts was with a woman he knew when he forced her into his home at gunpoint, according to the statement. He assaulted her and threatened to hurt her and a relative if she left, officers said.

The woman escaped and flagged down a driver, according to the statement. The driver took her to the Columbia Police Department to report the alleged crime.

This wasn’t the first time deputies heard of Roberts committing a similar crime. In August, officers say Roberts forced a different woman into a car at gunpoint and took her to his home for several hours, according to the statement.

Roberts allegedly threatened to shoot the woman if she didn’t do what he said, according to the statement. She was not harmed during the incident.

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 11:13 AM.