From KCK, through Platte County, to Maryville
A 42-year-old man is facing charges for allegedly kidnapping and assaulting his elderly father over nearly a 24-hour period.
On Tuesday, March 22, John Houston Fraley of Lenox, Iowa, allegedly abducted his father and moved him across state lines and multiple jurisdictions for some unknown reasons, according to authorities.
Though the victim did not give his consent to leave and tried to flee while the vehicle was parked outside a retail store, he was pulled back into the vehicle, authorities say.
According to court documents, the victim was beaten from the starting point, believed to be Kansas City, Kan., and throughout the evening until reaching Maryville.
Authorities say sometimes the victim was forced to drive in heavy rain even though he had one eye bruised and swollen shut.
On his mobile phone, the suspect allegedly shot video footage of himself physically assaulting his father in the middle of the night. Authorities say one of the video recordings shows Fraley parked along Hwy. 45, just south of the West Platte Fire Station in Weston, ranting and raving as though he has an audience. Authorities say in the video the victim has visible injuries to his face, including a swollen bottom lip and a black eye that is swollen shut. His shirt is unbuttoned and stained with dried blood, according to court documents.
Authorities say a second recording shows the victim making an emotional plea for the suspect to stop physically harming him. “Hey listen that hurts! You are pulling the skin off my arm. You’re pulling the skin off my arm. It hurts, it hurts, please,” says the victim, according to court documents.
When the victim is able to pull his arm away from his son, both his hand and arm have open wounds that are bleeding, according to the allegations.
Platte County detectives were able to pinpoint the exact location of where the video was shot based on road signs visible in the recording, court documents indicate.
When they left the area, it is believed they traveled north along Hwy. 45 to Hwy. 59 into Buchanan County. Court documents indicate the suspect and victim may have been turned away from a Platte County hotel due to “how badly beat(en)” the victim appeared and elements of danger.
Authorities say the suspect bought fuel in St. Joseph and continued north another 43 miles to Maryville, where the suspect stopped at a motel.
The victim was transported by ambulance to a hospital, where he received treatment for pain and countless injuries, including facial fractures, bite marks, cuts on his neck, puncture wounds to his arms, wounds to the abdomen area, and lacerations to his right and left arms, where chunks of skin were torn out, according to court documents.
Court documents say the victim may have been shot in the abdomen with an airsoft gun and stabbed in the arm with keys.
Fraley was taken into custody by the Maryville Department of Public Safety and remains in the Nodaway County Jail on kidnapping and domestic assault charges. His bond in Nodaway County is set at $250,000 cash. He also faces charges in other jurisdictions.
The assault charge brought against him in Platte County is punishable by up to seven years in prison.
A Platte County Circuit Court judge has set Fraley’s bond at $20,000 with multiple conditions, including abstaining from contact with the victim, pretrial supervision, and drug monitoring within 48 hours of his release.