Authorities believe that the two men accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a Johnson County Sheriff's deputy had other victims.
William Luth, 24, of Blue Springs, Missouri, and Brady Newman-Caddell, 21, of Independence, Missouri, were arrested Monday night in Jackson County after surveillance video of the car used in the kidnapping was released.
Both men were charged Tuesday in Johnson County District Court with two counts of rape and single counts of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated sodomy. Bond for each was set at $1 million.
"We know that there are other victim or victims," Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe told journalists at a news conference.
"I can't talk about why we believe this but I will tell you that we feel like now that, hopefully with these two being in custody, we can empower these individuals to come forward and talk to law enforcement about what happened to them," Howe says.
Because of Kansas Supreme Court rules, Howe says he cannot discuss any further details about the investigation.
Howe and Sheriff Frank Denning thanked the public for their input. They say information from the public helped them apprehend the victims much faster than anticipated.
On Friday night, the female deputy was on her way to work and had just exited her car when she was forced into the suspects' car.
The suspects allegedly assaulted the deputy, whose head and face were kept covered. She was later released in the Lee's Summit area, where she sought help from the Jackson County Sheriff's Department.
Luth and Newman-Caddell are expected to make their first court appearance in Johnson County Wednesday.
Denning said the deputy has expressed interest in returning to work but is not back on the job yet.
The sheriff's office is asking for anyone who had any contact with either of the suspects on or near the night of Oct. 7 to call the TIPS hotline or contact the Johnson County Sheriff's Department.
Lisa Rodriguez is a reporter at KCUR 89.3. Connect with her on Twitter @larodrig.
