Man Accused Of Kidnapping Ex-Girlfriend From Her Boyfriend's Leander Home

LEANDER, TX -- Police have accused a man of kidnapping his former girlfriend at gunpoint at her current boyfriend's house in Leander, according to a published report.

The woman escaped by running close to a mile barefoot, according to an arrest affidavit referenced in a report by the Austin American-Statesman.

As a result, Justin Panus, 29, a resident of Austin, has been charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated kidnapping, burglary with the intent to commit another felony and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

It all began (as detailed in a just-released arrest affidavit) at around 2:39 a.m. Sunday at the 1300 block of Tamarac Trail. That's where the current boyfriend of the female victim told police her ex-boyfriend arrived at the home with a gun pointed at her current beau, who had responded to a doorbell at the front door.

The former boyfriend pointed a gun at the current boyfriend, she told police. The ex then forced his way into the home, finding his former lover and dragging her out of the house. "Let me go, please don't do this," she pleaded to no avail, according to the affidavit.

According to the Statesman-referenced affidavit, the suspect then forced the woman into his truck. The current boyfriend, meanwhile, called police while explaining his children were in the house at the time of the alleged kidnapping.

Before taking off with his ex-girlfriend, Panus is said to have slashed the tires attached to both the ex-girlfriend's car and that of her boyfriend's, according to the affidavit.

During the ordeal, the woman told police Panus demanded she turn over her mobile phone. Upon her refusal, she was hit in the face with the barrel of his gun, she told police.

The man then reportedly took his former girlfriend to an Austin apartment while threatening to kill her if she made a scene. She was able to escape from the vehicle, flagged a taxi and directed the cabbie to a police station, where she reported the incident.

Panus was eventually arrested. He now faces first-degree felony charges for burglary and kidnapping, punishable by up to 99 years' imprisonment.

The affidavit also notes Panus was previously charged with kidnapping in Waupaca County, Wis. Additionally, he was convicted in October 2010 for jumping bail in Wisconsin, according to the affidavit.

Panus is now being held in the Williamson County Jail with bail set at more than $1.3 million.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

Panus booking photo via police records.