CHEROKEE COUNTY —Two suspects are in custody after a woman reported being abducted and sexually assaulted in rural Cherokee County earlier this week.
Late February 2, as the woman was walking to her car, two men wearing masks, grabbed her and forced her into her vehicle, according to Sheriff David Groves.
As she struggled, one of the men brandished a firearm and threatened her. As they drove away, her eyes were covered with duct tape and she was sexually assaulted. The attack continued from Cherokee County into Missouri, where the woman was eventually released.
"This was an incredibly violent situation where the victim was acquainted with the suspects and able to provide important and timely details to investigators," according to Groves.
One of the suspects, Zaqouri Traves Archer, 31, of Joplin, was arrested by the Jasper County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday, February 4th, 2020, after an arrest warrant was issued in Cherokee County District Court. Archer is facing charges in Kansas of Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness and Theft. He is being held in in the Jasper County Jail in lieu of $250,000.00 bond.
On Wednesday morning, law enforcement in Creek County, Oklahoma located and apprehended the second suspect, 32-year-old Jeffrey David Marsh, of Oronogo, Missouri.
Marsh faces charges in Kansas of Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery, Aggravated Sexual Battery, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, Criminal Threat and Theft. His bond has been set at $300,000.00.