Woman rescued after texting her employer saying she couldn’t come to work because she had been kidnapped

Anthony Peterson, 39, was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and terrorizing with a dangerous weapon, according to court records.

• A North Dakota woman told her boss she couldn’t come to work because she was being held hostage, sparking an investigation, police say.

• The woman alleges she was kidnapped by Anthony Peterson, her ex-boyfriend, according to authorities.

• Court records show Peterson has multiple domestic violence-related convictions in Minnesota

A North Dakota woman who was allegedly held hostage for three days was rescued after texting her boss while in captivity, authorities say.

Anthony Peterson, 39, was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and terrorizing with a dangerous weapon in connection with the incident, according to online court records.

Police went to a Fargo, North Dakota, home on April 8 after the woman allegedly sent her boss a text message claiming she had been kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend and “She would not be able to come to work,” the Fargo Police Department said in a statement. THURSDAY.

His employer quickly informed authorities who then dispatched officers to the scene, according to the press release.

When officers arrived at the residence, it was the woman who opened the door and she was “safely” rescued from the scene, the release states. The woman, whose name and age have not been released, told police that Peterson allegedly held her “hostage at gunpoint” at his home and would not let her leave. the residence since Friday, police said.

While questioning the woman, police found Peterson asleep on a couch and “in possession of a handgun,” according to Fargo PD. The gun was believed to be stolen and Peterson is not allowed to have a firearm in his possession, police said.

Peterson, a native of Lakeville, Minnesota, has multiple convictions in his home state between 2003 and 2023, according to online court records. The convictions include violating a protective order on three separate occasions, stalking and domestic assault, records show.

He was also charged with assault in Fargo in 2011 and that case was dismissed in 2019, according to online records. He has pleaded not guilty in this case.

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Following his arrest last week, Peterson also faced charges of theft of property and criminal restraint, Fargo police said in the release. Court and prison records show he has not been charged with those offenses.

A public defender representing Peterson told PEOPLE he expects the suspect to plead not guilty to the charges.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or go to thehotline.org. All calls are free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

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