Online Date Meeting Ends With Arrest in Stafford: Police

STAFFORD, VA — She was from out of town. She arranged a date with a stranger last Friday night. She met him at a townhouse. She went downstairs with him.

And that's when, according to the Stafford County Sheriff's Office, he threatened her with a gun and demanded sexual activity.

She fled the home, leaving behind her purse, car keys and cell phone. He fled, too, but was arrested the next day hiding under a stack of boxes.

Ernst-Benoit Messi, 25, of Edgemore Court in Woodbridge, was charged with:

• Abduction and kidnapping.
• Use/display of a firearm in commission of a felony.
• Robbery.
• Assault and Battery.
• Weapon possession by a felon.
• Resisting arrest.
• Driving with a suspended/revoked license.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., police responded to a report of a robbery in progress at Thomas Jefferson Place. The victim, who had fled to a neighbor's house to call authorities, told police her story, and a witness reported seeing Messi fleeing the scene in a teal Nissan with temporary tags.

Police found him near the intersection of Forbes Street and Layhill Road. He pulled over and then fled on foot, leaving behind the woman's belongings.

So the next day, police returned to the townhouse at James Madison Circle with an arrest warrant. A woman answered the door and gave permission for police to search the residence.

Messi was found in the basement, hiding behind the washer/dryer with boxes stacked on top of him.

He's being held without bond.

Photo: Stafford County Sheriff's Office