Landlord Accused of Kidnap Eviction

A man in upstate New York was arrested Monday after allegedly kidnapping two tenants living at his Albany residence and dumping them at a rural cemetery in an effort to get around a COVID-19 eviction moratorium, the Albany Times-Union reports. Authorities say that, early on Sunday, Shawn Douglass, 48, and possible unidentified accomplices punched and kicked the sleeping tenants—a 21-year-old woman and 32-year-old man—before restraining them with tape and zip-ties. He then allegedly put pillowcases over their heads, loaded them into a Dodge Durango, and drove them, at gunpoint, to the snow-covered cemetery in Columbia County.

He left them there, still tied up, exposing “the victims to a risk of serious physical injury, per a police report. The woman was able to free herself and go to a nearby residence for help. Douglass was reportedly frustrated that he was unable to evict the tenants because of an pandemic-related eviction moratorium that, per HuffPost, is in place until May 1. Douglass, who faces second-degree kidnapping charges, was released from the Albany County Jail on $50,000 bond, according to reports. No other arrests have been made. (More kidnapping stories.)