LUZERNE, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — A man accused of holding a woman hostage for two weeks was arraigned Monday on rape charges.
According to the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office, on November 2 a woman ran into a hair salon asking for police, suffering from a head injury and black eye.
During an investigation, officers said the woman was threatened by a man, later identified as Robert Betts, 59, of Luzerne, who told her not to leave the apartment for two weeks.
The court record states the victim claimed she was homeless and Betts allowed her to stay in his apartment. The victim told police Betts strangled her, threatened her with a knife, and punched her in the head.
As stated in the affidavit, the victim claimed Betts forced her to smoke crack cocaine and raped her multiple times.
After the assault, police say Betts took the victim out of the apartment to go to the store and she was able to escape. Betts chased her until she ran into the hair salon, according to court documents.
Investigators said they obtained surveillance video that showed Betts’ assault of the victim. A search of Betts’ apartment revealed 11 bags of suspected crack cocaine, bed sheets and pillowcases with suspected blood stains, and a small wooden bat, police stated.
Betts has been charged with raping the woman in October and November, according to officials. He also faces aggravated assault and other related charges.
