By Ryan Lewallen, County 17
A Gillette man is accused of kidnapping and threatening to kill a woman over a relationship dispute, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in the case.
Quain Trice, 41, was arraigned before Circuit Court Judge Paul S. Phillips on Sept. 2 on charges consisting of felony kidnapping and domestic battery relating to a Sept. 1 incident during which he reportedly “saw red” because he believed the woman was cheating on him, per the affidavit.
The woman and Trice had been reportedly living together for the past week, but she reportedly moved out after witnessing Quain throw another resident through a wall at an apartment, the affidavit states.
She was reportedly dating another individual and went with him on Sept. 1 to her storage unit at a facility located on Commercial Drive. Another individual accompanied them and allegedly told Trice where the woman was.
The woman’s partner left at her request to avoid any potential problems with Trice.
The woman, when interviewed by police, recalled hearing Trice’s vehicle arrive and heard him approach her from behind.
The affidavit states that Trice allegedly grabbed her by the hair and threw her into the wall of the garage twice before throwing her into his vehicle.
Once she was inside, Trice made several statements that he was going to “F—- kill her,” according to the affidavit, which states that Trice was angrily pacing and ignored the woman’s request for him to close her storage unit.
She exited the vehicle to close the unit herself, which is when Trice reportedly approached her from behind again and punched the side of her face twice, per the affidavit.
The woman told investigators that Trice then told her to get back in the car or he would kill her, a threat he repeated multiple times as he drove them back to his residence, the affidavit states.
As soon as Trice parked the vehicle, she jumped out and fled on foot with the suspect in hot pursuit.
The woman recalled running up to several vehicles that were driving past on 7th Street, banging on their windows and pleading for help, but “the cars kept driving away,” per the affidavit.
She reported to investigators that she feared for her life, so much so that she lost control of her bladder, according to the affidavit, which adds that Trice has been known to carry a black semi-automatic handgun with him.
Once Trice stopped chasing her, the woman went and hid under a porch on Warren Avenue. When the homeowners went out to check on her, she was crying and said “he’s trying to kill me,” the affidavit states.
During his interview, Trice denied any physical altercation, though he did admit to “escorting” the woman into his vehicle, per the affidavit.
He also allegedly believed that he and the woman had been in a relationship for the week leading up to the incident and became angry when he found out about her new boyfriend.
He also admitted to threatening that he would kill her and burn her van down, the affidavit states.
During Trice’s arraignment, Deputy County and Prosecuting Attorney Daniel Reade stated that the state viewed the defendant as a significant threat to the community, evidenced by previous violent crimes and the fact that the woman had been so terrified of him that she wet her pants.
Phillips agreed and set bond for Trice at $250,000 cash only.
He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Sept. 8 to determine if there is sufficient probable cause to advance the case onto District Court.
