Texas Man Accused of Torturing Woman Indicted

A Texas man accused of torturing a woman for nearly two weeks on a stand used for skinning deer was indicted Thursday on kidnapping and sexual assault charges.

The Parker County grand jury indicted Jeffrey Allan Maxwell, 58, on one count of aggravated kidnapping and two counts of aggravated sexual assault. All are first-degree felonies punishable by up to 99 years or life in prison.

Maxwell also has been accused of setting fire to the woman's home in Parker County, west of Fort Worth, to destroy evidence, though that case hasn't been presented yet, prosecutor Jeff Swain said.

Maxwell could go on trial for the kidnapping and sex assault charges as soon as August, Swain said.

The indictment alleges Maxwell abducted his former neighbor from her home on March 1, then driving her about 100 miles to his home in Corsicana. Maxwell was arrested March 12 at his house, where the woman was rescued.

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler has said investigators identified Maxwell after determining that his car matched the description of one seen by witnesses at the woman's home on the day of the fire. Fowler said neighbors reported that the woman had complained previously that Maxwell had harassed her.

A judge had denied Maxwell's request for a court-appointed attorney, noting that Maxwell has a net worth of about $200,000. Maxwell remains in the Parker County Jail in Weatherford with bond set at $500,000, and no attorney is listed on his jail record.

Fowler has said Maxwell also is under investigation in three cold cases of women missing in different Texas cities, including his then-wife's disappearance in 1993.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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