An Elizabethtown man will serve 40 years in prison for kidnapping and violently assaulting a woman using a crutch, coat hangers, and other objects after holding her captive in a closet.
Brendon W. Houk, 25, received the sentence last week in Hardin County Circuit Court following his October 2024 arrest. He faced multiple charges, including kidnapping (adult), second-degree assault (domestic violence), first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and tampering with physical evidence.
According to The News-Enterprise, Houk handcuffed the victim to a pole inside a utility closet at a home on Airview Drive and beat her repeatedly with a crutch, a small pole, and coat hangers. He also gagged her by forcing a sock into her mouth.
The woman managed to free herself and seek help. She was later treated at Baptist Health Hardin for multiple injuries, including cuts, bruises, and wounds to her face, head, hands, wrists, and legs. Police searching the scene found bloody clothes, towels, socks, and blood stains throughout the residence.
In a plea agreement, Houk received:
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20 years for kidnapping
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10 years for second-degree assault
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5 years for second-degree strangulation
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5 years for tampering with physical evidence
The sentences will run consecutively, meaning Houk will serve a total of 40 years, with the possibility of parole after serving 20% of his sentence, according to The News-Enterprise.
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