Grand jury indicts Elba man

Published 12:17 am Friday, December 11, 2015

A Covington County grand jury has indicted an Elba man on two counts of kidnapping and one count of criminal trespassing.

In September, Opp Police arrested Chad Houston, 39, after he allegedly used a butcher knife to force someone to drive him from Opp to Elba just after midnight.

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OPD was dispatched to a one-vehicle crash around 12:27 a.m., where extensive damage was caused to Ballard Tire Co., and officers determined that the crash occurred as a result of the driver being kidnapped.

OPD officials said at the time, that Houston allegedly made credible threats to do harm to the victim and refused to allow the victim to exit the vehicle.

The driver jumped from the vehicle in an attempt to escape from Houston.

Grand jury records show it found enough evidence to indict Houston for abducting Billy Ray Phillips Jr., and Deven Lee White.

The grand jury also indicted him on criminal trespass charges.

According to the indictment, Houston knowingly entered or remain unlawfully in a dwelling, the property of White.

Houston is being held on a $200,000 bond for each count of kidnapping second-degree and $20,000 for criminal trespassing.