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A 34-year-old Enumclaw man was charged this month with binding and gagging a man in his Federal Way-area home and stealing more than $10,000 that was exchanged in a transaction over rottweiler puppies.
A 34-year-old Enumclaw man was charged this month with binding and gagging a man in his Federal Way-area home and stealing more than $10,000 that was exchanged in a transaction over rottweiler puppies.
A 34-year-old Enumclaw man was charged this month with binding and gagging a man in his Federal Way-area home and stealing more than $10,000 that was exchanged in a transaction over rottweiler puppies.
Nathan Horton was charged Feb. 9 with first-degree robbery and unlawful imprisonment for the Jan. 29 incident.
The alleged victim met Horton about a month earlier at the victim's home near Trout Lake, south of Federal Way and Auburn, court documents say. The victim raises rottweiler puppies imported from Germany and planned to sell a couple puppies to a friend and Horton, who lived in a trailer on the friend's property, King County Sheriff's Office reports say.
The victim sold two puppies to his friend for $10,800. The friend planned to sell one to Horton, but Horton reportedly failed to pay for the puppy and also fell behind in rent payments. Horton was asked to leave the man's property.
Horton then allegedly showed up at the victim's home late Jan. 28. The victim allowed Horton inside, but felt uneasy because he did not know why Horton was there, reports indicate. He eventually asked Horton to leave.
Horton, however, then claimed his truck would not start. After he eventually got it started, the victim offered to go with him to put fuel in his truck. However, Horton appeared to drive aimlessly around the area and did not return the victim home, so the victim demanded that he be taken home. At this point it was early the morning of Jan. 29.
Feeling suspicious of Horton, he took the money from the puppy sale Jestbet and put it in his pants pocket. The reported victim then took a nap on his couch before meeting a friend for lunch later that day, leaving his front door unlocked.
He then awoke about 11 a.m. to Horton applying zip-ties around his wrists. As the victim yelled to ask what was happening, Horton allegedly smacked him in the face with a pistol and forced him to walk upstairs to his bathroom, Sheriff's Office reports say.
Horton reportedly stuffed a rag into the victim's mouth, wrapped duct tape around his head and zip-tied his ankles. He pointed his gun at the man, threatening to shoot him and demanding to know where the dog cash was located. Reports say Horton found the cash in the man's pocket and took it before using a knife to cut the man's left wrist.
Horton then left the house with the money, telling the victim he would return to kill him.
The victim's friend arrived at the house later that day for the scheduled lunch meeting, court records say. No one answered the door, so the friend entered the house and called for the victim. He heard a muffled sound from upstairs. The friend eventually headed upstairs to hear a stifled voice from the bathroom. The bathroom door was locked from the inside, but the victim reportedly managed to open the door and let his friend in. The friend found the victim bound, gagged and bleeding on the floor, court filings say.
The friend freed the victim from his restraints and took him out of the house, fearing Horton would return to kill him, Sheriff's Office reports indicate.
Horton was reportedly arrested in Montana Feb. 10 and awaits extradition to King County.
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