ORANGE PARK, Fla. – A Bartow man faces felony charges after Clay County deputies say he held his girlfriend captive for more than a week inside her Orange Park apartment.
Christopher Scott Barrett, 35, was arrested May 9 on charges of false imprisonment, methamphetamine trafficking, possession of a controlled substance and marijuana possession, jail records show.
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The charges stem from a complaint filed by Barrett's girlfriend, who came forward last week saying she was frightened of his drug-addled and increasingly possessive behavior, according to an arrest report.
She said she'd been living in fear since Barrett came to visit last month. She said he was only supposed to stay a week, but had overstayed his welcome and would not leave her alone.
The woman, who was visibly shaken, said she was afraid to go home. She told deputies she only managed to escape by grabbing her car keys and making a run for it while he was in another room.
While speaking with deputies, the woman showed them her phone. They found over 50 text messages she had received from Barrett within the last hour.
She said the pair met while she was vacationing in Panama City. After spending a week with him, however, she got spooked because he was "acting crazy," and returned home.
The woman took him back after he apologized and invited him to stay with her April 28. The relationship soon soured, she said, but he made unspecified threats when she tried to break up with him.
According to the report, the woman said Barrett would not let the woman use her phone or even the restroom, much less leave the apartment, unless she was under close supervision.
When she was allowed to leave, the woman said, it was only for specific errands: "She stated they only went when it was late at night and when they went she had to 'hold his arm and keep her head down."
She said Barrett was a frequent drug user who used crystal meth all day and rarely slept, except for the occasional nap. At one point, she said, he forced her to accompany him to a drug deal in Georgia.
The woman told deputies she was so scared of what might happen that she arranged for her son to stay with a relative. She said she didn't want Barrett to know where the child goes to daycare.
The report said the woman wanted Barrett out of the apartment, even if it meant deputies breaking down the front door. Deputies obliged and inside they found Barrett hiding underneath a sofa.
Barrett remains in custody at the Clay County jail, where he's being held in lieu of $132,000 bail. Jail records show he has a court date scheduled for June 6.