Excelsior Springs man charged in kidnapping, rape case appears in Clay County court
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Excelsior Springs, Missouri kidnapping, rape case
A woman who escaped captivity in an Excelsior Springs home had been raped repeatedly while being kept in a room designed to hold her hostage since sometime in early September, according to court documents. Timothy M. Haslett, 39, is facing kidnapping and rape charges in the case.
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Timothy M. Haslett, accused of keeping a young woman captive in his Excelsior Springs home for weeks, appeared in Clay County Circuit Court Tuesday afternoon for his arraignment hearing following his arrest last week.
Judge Louis Angles entered a not guilty plea on behalf of Haslett on charges of first-degree rape, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree assault. During his 10 minutes in court, Haslett mostly spoke in brief sentences and advised that he needed a public defender to represent him.
Haslett appeared in the courtroom by video conference Tuesday afternoon from the Clay County jail. He stared down toward his feet for much of the hearing, keeping both arms behind his back and later clasped together at his front, as the judge read the charges against him.
At one point, Haslett asked to raise certain requests to Judge Angles. Angles advised Haslett of his right to remain silent and to avoid saying anything incriminating as Clay County prosecutors were in the courtroom and “writing down everything you say.”
Haslett expressed apparent concern about his financial situation, asking that he be returned any bail money posted in another unrelated criminal case. He also mentioned concern about his son.
Haslett is currently held on a $500,000 bond in Clay County jail. Angles scheduled a bond hearing on the case to be held in one week, and a preliminary hearing for early December.
Woman escapes Excelsior Springs home
The case against Haslett began early Friday morning when neighbors in Excelsior Springs reported being visited by a woman seeking help. She was wearing a collar around her neck and appeared severely malnourished, neighbors and authorities have told The Star.
The woman also reported to authorities that she had been locked inside a basement room after being picked up on Prospect Avenue in Kansas City in early September. She said Haslett raped her “frequently” over the weeks and whipped her, and that she only escaped that morning when he drove his son to school.
Haslett was arrested at the home that morning. In the following days, a large-scale search warrant operation was conducted at the home and that involved the use of a cadaver dog — a canine trained to track the missing and dead — and the collection of several large bags of physical evidence, transported away in SUV-loads by police.
Other law enforcement agencies have assisted Excelsior Police with the investigation, including the FBI.
Police have said the victim was taken to the hospital and reunited with family. The Star generally does not identify possible victims of sexual assault without their permission.
Meanwhile, the large-scale search at the Haslett house in the 300 block of Old Orchard Avenue has fueled speculation and worry from neighbors and other Excelsior Springs residents. Over the weekend, a prayer vigil was held at a local park as a few dozen called for the woman who apparently escaped to receive proper care and for law enforcement to be successful with the investigation.
This story was originally published October 11, 2022 at 3:00 PM.
