By SCOTT CARLSON
North Platte Post
LINCOLN, Neb.-Two people have been arrested in a kidnapping investigation in Lincoln.
Police said on July 29, at around 8:30 a.m., the police department was contacted by investigators in Gage County who reported finding a man bound and walking down a rural road with obvious injuries.
Police made contact with the 26-year-old man, who reported that he had been kidnapped and beaten at a warehouse in Lincoln at 56th St. and I-80, before being transported to an unknown location in Gage County.
As police continued their investigation, they learned that a second victim, a female, had been kidnapped and assaulted, both physically and sexually.
The man told officers that Austin Widhalm, 26, and Tanner Danielson, 30, took him to an area he was unfamiliar with and tied him to a tree. The man said he was eventually able to free himself and began walking until he was found by a Gage County deputy. The deputy then transported him to a local hospital, where he was treated for his injuries.
A felony arrest warrant has been issued for Widhalm for kidnapping, 1st-degree assault, use of a weapon to commit a felony, and two counts of 1st-degree false imprisonment.
Danielson was arrested in Rapid City, South Dakota, on Monday by the U.S. Marshal's Fugitive Task Force on suspicion of use of a weapon to commit a felony, 1st-degree false imprisonment, 1st-degree assault, and 1st-degree sexual assault.
Police did not release any further information on the female who was allegedly a victim as the investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Lincoln Police Department at 402.441.6000 or if they wish to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 402.475.3600.
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