Callaway County man charged with rape, kidnapping

Rusty Dale Rudd, 26
Rusty Dale Rudd, 26

PORTLAND, Mo. - A Portland man was charged with rape, kidnapping and other charges Friday, according to Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism.

Rusty Dale Rudd, 26, was charged by the county's prosecuting attorney with three counts of second-degree rape, multiple counts of domestic assault, first-degree kidnapping and property damage, Chism stated. He was in custody with no bond in the Callaway County Jail on Friday.

Chism said deputies responded to a residence near Portland for a reported sexual assault and domestic disturbance about 4:30 a.m. March 23. The victim was located and taken to a Columbia hospital for treatment, and later released.

Rudd was identified as the suspect, but he had fled the area prior to the deputies' arrival. Deputies continued to investigate for several days, searching for Rudd.

At 9:31 a.m. Friday, deputies and investigators located Rudd at a residence near Portland. He was arrested without incident and transported to the Callaway County Jail.

The victim accused Rudd, her live-in boyfriend of three months, of repeatedly holding her against her will, raping, choking and otherwise assaulting her on March 23, according to the probable cause statement. The statement also notes the victim told deputies Rudd told her, "You are going to die tonight."

The investigation is ongoing, and further charges could be forthcoming.