Clockwise from top left: Aaron Bradshaw, Martina Esqueda, Austin Bradshaw, Michael Esqueda, Chance Johnston, and David Cessna (Lucas County Corrections Center).
Six individuals from Ohio are facing serious allegations by prosecutors for reportedly holding a man captive, subjecting him to various forms of abuse, including being beaten with a metal bat, and engaging in other horrific acts.
The accused are Aaron Bradshaw, 49, Austin Bradshaw, 23, Chance Johnston, 27, David Cessna, 26, Martina Esqueda (also known as Martina Jones), 28, and Michael Esqueda, 28. They stand charged with felony offenses related to kidnapping with intentions to terrorize or cause severe physical harm. Currently, they are detained at the Lucas County Corrections Center with a bond set at $200,000. According to police reports detailed in an arrest warrant for Aaron Bradshaw, the victim, who remains unnamed, was reportedly abducted on March 14 and held in captivity against his will for a week. Evidently, during this period, the victim was physically restrained, subjected to brutal beatings using hands and a metal bat, and forced to endure prolonged periods of standing.
Local Toledo news outlet The Blade reported from the courtroom on March 24 that prosecutors told a judge the alleged victim had suffered serious injuries as a result of the abuse he experienced during his captivity, including broken bones, but “the totality of those injuries has not been determined.” Assistant city prosecutor Andy Lastra called the case “extremely disturbing.”
While it was not made clear how the alleged victim escaped captivity, the arrest warrants stated that the abuse claims came from him. Among the accusations made in the warrant, the alleged victim told police that he was only allowed to eat and drink “once a day” and only slept for 10 hours during the entire seven-day period. The six defendants also allegedly forced him to “stand for extended periods of time.”
The relationship between the alleged victim and the defendants was not made clear in the warrants or during their preliminary hearing on March 24 in Toledo Municipal Court. Three of the defendants — Cessna, Michael Esqueda, and Martina Esqueda, under the name Martina Jones — are also being charged in Maumee Municipal Court: Cessna is charged with second-degree domestic violence, Michael Esqueda is charged with second-degree felonious assault, and Martina Esqueda is charged with second-degree felonious assault and domestic violence to a household member in connection with the same case.
All six defendants had their bail set at $200,000 and are currently in custody at Lucas County Corrections Center. Their next court appearance was scheduled for April 1.
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