Teen Escapes Alleged Captor After Being Held Hostage for 6 Days in California

Samira Asma-Sadeque
·2 min read

Sugarloaf resident Zackary Dourousseau has been charged with kidnapping and rape, authorities said

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Getty

Authorities have charged a Sugarloaf, Calif., man for kidnapping and rape after a teenager escaped from his home, where she alleges she was held captive for six days and assaulted.

Zackary Dourousseau, 26, was arrested on March 7 by deputies from Big Bear Sheriff’s Department, the police said in a statement. He has been charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and statutory rape.

Police said Dourousseau allegedly picked up the victim — a 17-year-old girl — on the evening of March 1 before driving her to his apartment and "asked her for sex." They said that after she refused, she was held captive for six days.

While held captive, police said that Dourousseau allegedly provided the teenager "with little food and water" and "made her consume large amounts of alcohol." According to the police, he forced her "to have sex with him in exchange for her freedom."

The victim was able to escape after Dourousseau allegedly "held [her] inside of his locked vehicle" while he was at work. The police said that once she got out, she ran to a nearby business for help and the employees notified the authorities.

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A witness who hid the girl in the backroom until deputies arrived said the victim was “extremely frazzled” when she came in and “wasn’t adequately clothed,” NBC affiliate WOWT reported.

“She didn’t share much,” the witness told the outlet. “She wasn’t talking too much or sharing too much. But it is winter up in Big Bear, and she wasn’t adequately clothed. So, you could kinda tell that something was off.”

According to the police, Dourousseau was taken into custody at West Valley Detention Center and is scheduled to appear at the San Bernardino Superior Courthouse on March 18.

Online records for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department reviewed by PEOPLE show that he was released on bail on Wednesday. He has entered a plea of not guilty, according to online court records for the Superior Court of California, San Bernardino County. He has been assigned a public defender but a name was provided.

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