An Atlantic City man is jailed after he allegedly held a woman captive in a crawl space.
Police were called to the 1400 block of Absecon Boulevard at 4:37 p.m.Friday that a woman was being held against her will, assaulted and in fearing for her life, Capt. Kevin Fair said.
A third party called 9111, saying that Gary Lockel had forced the woman into a crawl space and she was not allowed out, according the report.
Lockel, 54, refused orders from the police officers to exit the apartment, Fair said.
Officers tried to negotiate with Lockel, but were unsuccessful, Fair said.
Officers feared for the victim's safety after communication broke down, and made entry, arresting Lockel without incident, according to the report.
Lockel had started trying to barricade himself inside the apartment, Fair said. The victim was found and treated on scene by medical personnel for minor injuries.
Lockel and the victim were previously in a dating relationship, an investigation found. He threw an object at the victim, striking her in the face and threatened to kill her.
A year ago, Lockel was also in the Atlantic County Justice Facility for allegedly using a brick to smash the door of a Atlantic City business. The owner claimed he had harassed them, asking for payment each day to avoid anything happening to the business.
His attorney denied those claims, saying there was an issue between the owner and Lockel's wife.
At the time, Lockel also was caring for his wife, who had medical issues, the attorney said during a detention hearing May 10, 2023.
Lockel was released at that time.
"You can be confident you won’t see him back other than for his scheduled appearances," his attorney promised the judge.
Court records show that case was disposed, but no details were available.
Lockel is now charged with criminal restraint, terroristic threats, simple assault, obstruction of justice and unlawful possession of a weapon.
He is jailed pending a detention hearing.
