A Finskburg man charged with imprisoning a woman in his home and torturing her for more than a month was denied bail Monday in district court, officials said.
State police arrested William Thomas Parrish III, 25, Saturday morning and charged him with false imprisonment, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and three counts of malicious destruction of property, said David P. Daggett, Carroll County deputy state’s attorney.
The woman called 911 Friday at 9:15 p.m., while Parrish was away, according to charging documents. Police arrived at Parrish?s house in the 2100 block of Bethel Road minutes later and drove the woman to the Maryland State Police Westminster Barrack, where she was interviewed.
The woman told investigators that Parrish, with whom she had a social relationship, forced her to stay at his house from Feb. 20 to March 30. He allegedly disabled her vehicle by snapping the ignition wires and pouring sugar in the gas tank and then threatened to kill her if she tried to escape.
During her captivity, Parrish tattooed his name on her skin, the woman told investigators. He also allegedly gagged, burned and raped her, and threatened her children’s lives if she didn’t submit. The woman also said Parrish beat her face, arms, legs, back and chest area with his fists and struck her in the head with a large glass bottle, causing extensive bruising.
The woman, whose identity was not released, is recovering, but was not critically injured, Daggett said.
Neighbors said Parrish was living with his grandfather, keeping him company.
“I?m about 300 feet away, and I never seen him or the woman,” said John Leese, who lives caddy-corner to Parrish?s house. “I went out to get the paper at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, and I seen all this excitement down the road. I didn?t know what was going on.”
State police and sheriff?s cruisers were clumped around the house, Leese said.
“I didn?t know what was going on until yesterday,” he said.
Parrish, who appeared in Carroll County District Court on Monday for his bail review hearing, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in Baltimore County in 1998 as a juvenile. He was sentenced to two years in jail for another second-degree assault charge in Carroll County in 2000, according to court documents. In 2003, Parrish pleaded no contest to charges of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, court records showed.
He is being held the in Carroll County Detention Center. A court date has not been set.
