An Ohio polygamist, her husband and her four lovers were thrown behind bars after they allegedly kidnapped and tortured a 26-year-old man held captive in a hotel room for a week – in a sick revenge scheme hatched by the group’s twisted matriarch.

Martina Jones, 28; her husband Michael Esqueda, 28; and boyfriends Aaron Bradshaw, 49; Austin Bradshaw, 28; David Cessna, 26; and Chance Johnston, 27, were arrested on March 22 for terrorizing the victim at a Red Roof Inn in Maumee, according to the Toledo Police Department, WTVG reported.

The deranged lovers, who reportedly share multiple children, brutally beat the victim with a metal baseball bat, forced him to stand for extended periods of time, and only allowed him to eat and drink once a day over the seven-day stretch, police said.

The victim, who was also viciously punched and kicked, only slept for a total of 10 hours while he was held against his will, charging documents alleged.

“He was being essentially tortured, assaulted, over the time frame of a week,” Maumee Chief of Police Josh Sprow told the outlet.

“His injuries were results of being struck with a baseball bat, struck with fists, elbows, stomping on him when he was on the ground – which over time resulted in multiple fractured bones.”

Sprow added that Jones ordered her deviant beaus to abduct the victim on March 14 and carry out the nightmarish scheme as retribution following a scuffle at her home, the outlet reported. 

The victim told police a dog fight erupted at the crazed woman’s home that resulted in her breaking her arm as the pair tried to stop the brawl. Jones, however, lied and told her unhinged companions that the man crippled her limb, police said. 

The tortured man was eventually rescued on March 21 when his captors let him venture to a Speedway convenience store, where he was able to speak with someone who then called his mother, according to police.

“When she was contacted by this literally a stranger – she knew something was up,” Sprow said, adding that the victim’s mother raced to the hotel room and freed her son, whose body was littered with injuries, the outlet reported. 

“It’s clearly a strange situation when you have multiple adult men involved in a relationship with a female and then this whole felonious assault, kidnapping taking place. Definitely not something that is normally happening in our city.”

The six suspects were each indicted Thursday for kidnapping, three counts of felonious assault and two counts of tampering with evidence, according to Fox8.

They are each being held on $200,000 bond.

The Today in Ohio podcast called foul on what an Ohio lawmaker portrays as an innocuous tax proposal but could have far-reaching implications for reproductive rights in Ohio.

Republican Ohio House member Gary Klick has reintroduced his Stork Act — ” Strategic Tax Opportunities for Raising Kids — which would add “conceived children” to Ohio’s tax code as dependents eligible for exemptions up to $2,400. The proposal would also make baby items like clothing, pacifiers, and breast pumps tax-free.

But the Today in Ohio panel wasn’t buying the family-friendly packaging.

“This is kind of a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said Lisa Garvin on the podcast. “On the surface it looks great and probably if a Democrat had introduced it, it might have gotten more support. But yeah, it’s about personhood.”

The timing hasn’t escaped notice. Coming more than a year after Ohioans decisively voted to protect abortion rights with an amendment to the Ohio constitution, the panel viewed the legislation as a backdoor attempt to establish fetal personhood—a legal concept that could be used to challenge abortion as homicide.

Said Chris Quinn: “Look, if he were serious about helping parents, we would be well beyond the child care support that we talked about for two years… This is pure nonsense from somebody seeking to outlaw abortion again, even though the voters have made clear that’s not going to happen.”

Quinn pointed out that childcare costs dwarf the expenses of cribs and baby clothes, yet Republicans have failed to advance meaningful childcare legislation.

“It’s more red herring nonsense from Republicans in the legislature who don’t really care about Ohio. They’re just pushing their silly dogma,” Quinn added.

Laura Johnston noted that despite the bill’s previous failure, its chances might be better with the current Republican supermajority.

The podcast discussion highlighted a pattern that many progressive critics have identified in Republican-led legislatures: intense focus on pregnancy and birth, followed by minimal support after children are born.

“These lawmakers are great about getting the kids to the point of being born and then they don’t care about them after that,” Quinn said. “They need to show that they care post birth, not just before they’re born.”

The bill had its first hearing on March 26, and while its future remains uncertain, the Today in Ohio team’s consensus was clear: this legislation is less about financial relief for expectant parents and more about establishing groundwork to challenge abortion rights.

Listen to the full episode for analysis of the proposal and how it plays into the battle over reproductive rights. Today in Ohio is a news analysis discussion by editors at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from Today in Ohio, a news podcast discussion by cleveland.com editors. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.

Listen to full “Today in Ohio” episodes where Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with impact editor Leila Atassi and content director Laura Johnston.

The 2025 NFL Draft is coming! In an effort to educate you, the fantasy football fan, about the top players in the incoming class, I’ll be spotlighting a different player each day. I’ve already covered the top quarterback prospects, and now it’s time to move on to the running backs. I started with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty and North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, so let’s move on to one of the next best prospects, Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins.

2024 Run Type: Zone 45% Gap 55%

Judkins joined the Rebels in 2022 and was productive right out of the gate, rushing for 1,567 yards and scoring 17 total touchdowns. He was voted a Freshman All-American and was a semifinalist for the Doak Walker Award. As a sophomore, Judkins led SEC backs in rushing touchdowns. He entered the transfer portal in 2023 and landed at Ohio State, where he put up over 1,000 rushing yards while splitting the backfield work with TreVeyon Henderson.

Last season, Judkins was graded as the 20th-best running back in FBS by PFF. He averaged a solid 5.5 yards per rush and caught 22 passes out of the backfield. His stats were still very solid across the board despite splitting the workload with Henderson, so he’s fully capable of filling up the box scores at the next level, both in terms of real and fantasy football.  

In terms of his passing protection, Judkins proved in college that he can get the job done. That makes him a potential three-down running back at the NFL level with the right team.

1. Chicago Bears (No. 39 or No. 41)
2. Dallas Cowboys (No. 44)
3. Denver Broncos (No. 51)
4. Cleveland Browns (No. 67)
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (No. 83)

Judkins is a high-level prospect who is projected to be as much as a second-round pick in the NFL draft. He has good size and strength, and his touchdown prowess in college will make him an interesting option for fantasy football fans in re-drafts and dynasty formats.

In terms of draft order, the Bears have two picks in the round and could use one on a bigger back to pair with D’Andre Swift. That’s not an ideal scenario in fantasy, at least in Year 1. The Cowboys could take Judkins as a replacement for Rico Dowdle, as he would be a virtual lock to pass Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders on the team’s depth chart.

In the event that Judkins falls out of the top 50 overall picks, the Broncos could grab him at No. 51 to replace Williams as their starter. The Browns would also be a nice landing spot for Judkins, as he would “stay home” and be the projected starter to replace Nick Chubb. The Steelers could also use a new lead back to pair with Jaylen Warren with Najee Harris gone.