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DECATUR-On November 10, 2024, at 5:37 p.m., Central Dispatch received a call in reference to a possible kidnapping near the intersection of Sandlin Rd. and Austinville Rd.
Officers responded to that location and made contact with two adults and two juveniles who advised they had just escaped
John Derek Mitchell
captivity from a nearby location. The on-call violent crimes detective was notified and responded to begin an investigation.
During the course of the investigation, it was reported that on November 9, 2024, John Derek Mitchell held all four victims at gunpoint and barricaded them inside his residence in the 400 block of Autumnwood Dr. SW. for more than a day before they were able to escape and contact the police.
Four warrants were obtained on Mitchell for kidnapping in the second degree.
On November 11, officers made contact with Mitchell at his residence and took him into custody without incident. He was transported to the Morgan County Jail where he remains on a $200,000 bond, per a Morgan County Circuit Judge.
“The above listed defendant is considered innocent until proven guilty in the court of law”
Media Release/Decatur Police Department
