Kermit Man Arrested After Woman Says She Was Held Against Her Will

KERMIT, TX — A 45-year-old Kermit man was arrested Thursday after authorities said he held a woman against her will and tried to strike her with his pickup. 

Christopher Bowden, of Kermit, was taken into custody without incident after a high-risk traffic stop in Ward County, according to a media release from the Winkler County Sheriff’s Office. He faces charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony, and unlawful restraint exposing a person to serious bodily injury, a third-degree felony. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty. 

Kermit police and Winkler County deputies responded about 5:30 p.m. Thursday to the 500 block of West Campbell after a 46-year-old woman reported she had just escaped a residence where she was held against her will, the release stated. Investigators determined she had been held at a home in the 200 block of Bert Street. 

The woman told officers Bowden used physical force whenever she tried to leave and attempted to strike her with his black Chevrolet Silverado, according to the release. She had injuries consistent with her account. 

Kermit police obtained arrest warrants authorized by a district judge. Using Flock license-plate reader cameras, the Winkler County Sheriff’s Office spotted the suspect vehicle in Ward County and notified that county’s deputies, who stopped the truck and arrested Bowden. 

He is being held at the Ward County Detention Center pending bond or extradition to Winkler County, the release stated.