Woman beaten, bound, held at knifepoint in Connecticut woods

Connecticut State Police arrested a man Wednesday morning who allegedly assaulted a woman, bound her with rope and held a knife to her throat when she tried to leave his campsite in Willington.

The victim told police she visited Jonathan Yokabaskas Tuesday night in a wooded area where he lives in a tent. An argument ensued and the 29-year-old suspect physically forced the woman to the ground and threatened to kill her, the accuser claimed.

Things got worse when she made a second attempt to get away.

“Yokabaskas struck her in the face, again forced her to the ground, and bound her wrists with rope, which she later convinced Yokabaskas to remove,” police said Thursday. “The victim further alleged that in the hours that followed, Yokabaskas threatened to kill her and held a knife against her throat several times.”

Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, the victim said she convinced Yokabaskas to let her drive to an area business where she could use the bathroom. Once inside, she phoned a relative who notified authorities.

State police arrived to find Yokabaskas waiting in his alleged victim’s car. Cops also found a 6-inch knife in the vehicle’s passenger compartment.

Authorities said that based on their initial findings, “the incident met the criteria of a family violence crime,” though the suspect’s relationship with his accuser is unclear. He told police he and the victim were involved in a fight.

The victim was taken to an area hospital for observation. Police said they spotted “visible injuries to her face and hands.”

Yokabaskas was taken into custody and charged with assault, kidnapping, threatening, unlawful restrain and possession of a weapon in a motor vehicle.

He was held on $250,000 bond and was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday at Rockville Superior Court.