A sixth suspect now accused of kidnapping, beating and keeping a woman in a cage for sex trafficking was denied bond Wednesday.
Michael Leon Troupe Jr., 23, faces charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, possession of a firearm during a crime and by a first offender and aggravated assault in the Nov. 29-30 string of crimes on Nellie Drive.
At a Wednesday hearing at the Charles B. Webster Detention Center, Magistrate Judge Shawn Merzlak told Troupe he is accused of abducting and holding the victim naked in a locked cage for at least four hours as well as hitting her with his fists, feet and a firearm.
Troupe told Merzlak he left school in eighth grade and had not completed his GED.
Troupe was not one of the five suspects police initially linked to the crime. Of those, suspect Demichael Dawson, 24, was denied a bond earlier this month.
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Two other suspects, Dawson Weston, 19, and Savannah Piazzi, 18, also remain in jail. Suspect Anjelika Figueroa, 29, is not at Webster, and suspect Shonna Powell, 32, killed herself in jail Dec. 22, according to authorities.
Witnesses said Powell was keeping the victim a prisoner to sell her for sex as payment for a debt.
Like Dawson, Troupe has other pending charges and was out on bond at the time of the incident. Troup is under indictment for May 2022 charges of possessing a firearm during a felony drug offense and possessing a firearm by a first offender.
Merzlak denied bond, saying Troupe is at risk of committing other felonies and failing to appear in court.
Susan McCord is a staff writer with The Augusta Press. Reach her at susan@theaugustapress.com
