Police looking for men involved in alleged abduction

By BAILEY CLINE

The Commercial Review

Police are looking for two men after they allegedly abducted a woman in Portland.

Jay County Sheriff’s Office issued a press release Wednesday morning regarding the incident, saying the woman was found safely and the incident remains under investigation.

According to police, a 21-year-old woman was cleaning a home on Race Street in Portland at about 5:30 p.m. Monday when she noticed two males outside. They followed her as she drove away from the property and cut her off on the street. The men allegedly forced her to get into a vehicle with them and drove away. 

Jay County Sheriff’s Office received a call about the alleged abduction about 6 p.m. Monday. The woman initially contacted her family via phone and stopped responding soon after, the sheriff’s office said. 

Police began tracking her phone, pinging her location in Darke County, Ohio. According to sheriff’s office officials, the men drove around the area for at least three hours, allegedly keeping the woman in the vehicle with them. 

She called her brother at about 8:30 p.m. to say she had been dropped off on State Line Road. Jay County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded and located her walking along the road.

She was unharmed.

“This poor girl, she was just scared to death,” said sheriff’s office investigator Tony Lennartz.

Jay County Sheriff’s Office posted a release Wednesday morning on Facebook regarding the incident.

“The case only involved persons in the Hispanic community and was an isolated incident,” the release says. “There is no one else targeted and fortunately the girl involved was found safe and fine a couple hours later.”

Jay County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are looking into the case. Police plan to share more information with the public when the investigation is complete.