Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
A Texas man is now facing charges after allegedly kidnapping, torturing, and sexually assaulting a woman he met on Bumble. According to WSAZ, the man is named Zachary Mills and is 21 years old. He has been charged with a first-degree felony of aggravated kidnapping.
According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the woman met Mills on the Bumble dating app. And agreed for him to pick her up from her apartment in Spring, Texas on Christmas Eve.
They arrived at his home and upon entering, he allegedly tried to have sex with her. But she refused. Mill then started punching, slapping, and biting the woman. According to court documents, when his “hands got tired from hitting her,” Mills allegedly raped her and assaulted her with a screwdriver.
According to WSAZ, authorities believe that Mills deprived the woman of food and water for five days while he allegedly held her captive.
She was only able to escape the premises on December 29, 2022, when Mills left to visit his father. The woman picked up her clothes, and dashed from the residence, requesting help from the first people she saw.
Authorities say that she suffered from “severe bruising to both eyes, bite marks and cuts to both her throat and nose and severe bruising to (the) majority of her body.”
The 21-year-old was arrested on Friday, December 30, 2022. And booked into the Harris County Jail.
However, according to WSAZ, he has since posted his $50,000 bond. And is on a 24-hour house arrest.
His lawyer, Chris Denuna, says that the allegations against Mills are “egregious.” But believes it is important for due process to play out, as reported by NBC News.
We are pleading not guilty. It’s important the process… gets carried out before we find these allegations credible or not. That’s the whole point of due process and presumption of innocence.
Mills will be arraigned on the aggravated kidnapping charge in March. According to the outlet, he could potentially face additional charges.
Bumble has released an official statement since the incident.
We are shocked and saddened to hear about this horrible crime. We blocked this member as soon as we were made aware of this situation and in accordance with our Community Guidelines. We also have a dedicated law enforcement team available to respond to any requests from law enforcement as needed.
We are dedicated to building a community where our members feel safe to make connections and build meaningful relationships. Every member of our community is expected to adhere to our guidelines anytime they’re using Bumble. Any profile that violates our terms or guidelines may result in getting blocked from the app for good.
Roommates, what are your thoughts about this?
