On Tuesday at 5:01 a.m., Urbana police responded to a 911 call, in the area of West Church and North High streets, from a man who said he’d been assaulted in the street and dragged into an upstairs apartment at 304 W. Church St. by multiple men, one of whom he only knew by the name “Juice.” The caller said he was being held against his will.
Officers determined the apartment the victim was being held in was No.D, but no one would answer the door. The victim, who had been taken into the bathroom area after the assault, had used his cell phone to notify police. While the police were outside trying to make contact, the victim informed Dispatch that he could hear the men returning, so had to hang up. Dispatch reported to officers on the scene that two or three men could be heard yelling in the background during the phone call.
As officers went up the stairwell to apartment D, two men exited the apartment and started down the stairs. The two men, one of whom was Richard “Juice” Bowser, 40, were detained by officers, as other officers continued to the apartment. Officers knocked, demanded entry, then made a forced entry.
Once inside, police found two additional men and a woman. The victim, Jeremy Martin, 28, ran from the bathroom area to the officers and informed them he was the one who had been beaten and forced into the apartment. He had serious injuries to his face and head. An Urbana Fire Division medic unit was requested and transported Martin to Mercy Memorial Hospital, Urbana.
Police took four men and a women into custody for questioning, including Bowser. Police remained at the scene most of the morning, serving a court-ordered search warrant for the crime scene at 10:02 a.m. and collecting evidence.
While additional investigative work is pending, police released everyone except for Bowser, who is charged with kidnapping, a 1st degree felony; robbery, a 2nd degree felony; and abduction, a 3rd degree felony.
Bowser was taken to the Tri-County Jail, Mechanicsburg, and made his initial court appearance on Wednesday.
