A man from Georgia is facing charges of kidnapping and assault following an incident Friday night in Osage County.
According to Osage County Sheriff's Department reports, James Sims, 45, is being held in custody for first-degree domestic assault and kidnapping.
At 7:48 p.m., deputies were dispatched to the 4300 block of Route U in Rich Fountain for a report of an assault no longer in progress.
Sims had fled the scene and was believed to be headed to Belle. The Belle Police Department was notified and the officer on duty stopped Sims and took him into custody.
The victim told authorities, for several hours, she and Sims were driving in a vehicle. At one point, they got into a fight where Sims allegedly struck her several times in the head with a closed fist. He later allegedly "smashed" her head into the dash of the vehicle several times, and the victim claimed Sims also held a knife to her throat. The victim stated Sims refused to stop the vehicle and let her out, forcing her to remain in the vehicle against her will. She was eventually able to get out and get help.
Correction: James Sims' last name was spelled incorrectly in an Osage County Sheriff's Department news release and in the original version of this article. It has since been corrected in the text above.