Texas Kidnapping Victim Says She Was Chained Up & Forced To Do Chores
OVILLA, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A woman told police she was chained up and forced to serve as a slave in a home for nearly two weeks, before she was able to reach someone for help. An Ovilla couple is in jail in Ellis County, charged with kidnapping.
A search warrant affidavit says 51-year-old Donna Lopez was chained by her ankle to a bed frame, when police checked on her Friday. She told police she was unshackled periodically, to perform chores around the home for Jean Claude and Charlotte DeMars. She also said she was told she was Charlotte's slave.
The document says a police sergeant observed feces, food, a paper plate and a bucket in the room Lopez was in. She said the bucket served as her restroom.
The affidavit says Lopez explained she had an on-and-off affair with Jean Claude DeMars for eight years, and he had been paying for her to stay in a Dallas hotel. She said she moved to a women's shelter when he stopped paying.
Lopez said January 14, DeMars picked her up in Irving and bought her an orange soda from a gas station. After drinking it, she said she lost consciousness and woke up in the home.
The affidavit says DeMars described Lopez as a "female friend," who started acting "loopy" after getting drinks, so he drove her to his house. He admitted to chaining her, "but only because Ms. Lopez requested it to avoid killing them in their sleep."
Lopez said early on January 26, the couple gave her an electronic tablet for entertainment. She used it to send a message to someone, who called police to help her.
Part of the chores Lopez said she was expected to perform, was cleaning up after the couple's dogs. Police estimated as many as 35 to 40 beagles could be on the property. Websites show DeMars may have operated a dog breeding kennel called Tribble's Nest.
Police said someone had been contacted to care for the dogs. The DeMars were both in jail with a $150,000 bond.
