After an incident involving the purported kidnapping of a transgender woman at a motel in South Florida, authorities detained a man.
The kidnapping happened on January 14 at the Saturn Motel, which is located in Miami at 6995 Biscayne Blvd., according to Miami police.
Shortly before 5:45 p.m. that night, the victim—a transgender lady with speech difficulties—text-messaged a friend to ask for assistance.
The victim’s buddy saw her in distress when they spoke on FaceTime.
Joshua Debarge Lucas, 34, showed up on the FaceTime chat and demanded $200, threatening to harm the victim if they would not comply.
Lucas acknowledged on the conversation that he was upset to learn the victim was transgender, blaming his intoxication at the time of the meeting.
Lucas claimed that his religious views as a Black Hebrew Israelite discouraged homosexual relationships, which is why he was angry.
During the call, one of Lucas’s accomplices gave the witnesses instructions on where to give the money. After recording the call, the witnesses got in touch with Miami police.
Officers found the victim when they arrived at the motel, but neither Lucas nor the accomplice were there. On Friday, Lucas was arrested at his home in Opa-locka on suspicion of rape with a weapon and making racist extortion threats.
He is being held at the Metro West Detention Center without bond at the moment. Authorities have not revealed the name of the alleged accomplice.
