A Manitowoc man is facing 30 charges after forcing a woman into his car and driving her to a pizza chain.
Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to the Francis Creek Travel Plaza on October 24th after an employee reported that a vehicle had been left running after a woman was taken away in a blue sedan.
A criminal complaint alleges that 24-year-old Michael Whiting followed the victim to the Travel Plaza before hitting her vehicle in the parking lot.
After yelling at the woman to come with him, he tried to pick her up and put her into his vehicle.
However, the victim bit Whiting, forcing him to let go.
He then grabbed the woman by her hair and repeatedly hit her multiple times as he got her into his vehicle and drove away.
The sheriff’s office and Manitowoc Police eventually ended up at the Pizza Hut on Calumet Avenue, which is where the 24-year-old suspect worked.
Whiting was arrested, and the victim told law enforcement that Whiting had her child in his vehicle during the crash and abduction.
The abduction victim then said that the suspect had previously assaulted her over the past 10 months and showed numerous markings on her body to deputies.
Whiting first claimed that he “blacked out” during the incident, but did say he showed up at the Travel Plaza.
The criminal complaint later explains that Whiting took the child from the home where he and the victim live to the Pizza Hut prior to the abduction.
Text messages also allegedly show that he threatened to kill the child by crashing the vehicle while he was following the victim to the Francis Creek gas station.
Whiting was given a $25,000 cash bail on October 27th by Judge Robert Dewane, and he is to have no contact with the victim.
He’s pleaded not guilty to the charges and will return to court on January 12th for a status conference.
