A Falls of Rough man has been charged with robbery and kidnapping after threatening and assaulting a Falls of Rough realtor while demanding the victim “write up the contract” and sign a home over to him.
The incident happened on Wednesday afternoon at approximately 3:00 when 71-year-old Keith S. Rowe, of Falls of Rough, arrived at a home in the Falls of Rough area and met an elderly realtor who was scheduled to show Rowe the home, Grayson Co. Sheriff Norman Chaffins said.
Rowe and the victim are acquainted, according to the arrest citation.
“Upon entering the home, “Rowe locked the door and shortly thereafter began assaulting the elderly victim. Rowe then demanded that he write up the contract and sign the home over to him and threatened to kill him if he did not. Rowe then ordered the victim to turn over his cell phone or that he would ‘beat his brains in,’” Chaffins said.
The victim gave the suspect his cell phone.
The victim then told the suspect that he could not write up the contract without his computer. The victim, who lives across the street from the home he was showing to Rowe, was told by the suspect to go to his house and write up the contract.
“(Rowe) told the elderly victim that if he attempted to get in his vehicle that he would tie a rope around his neck and drag him with his 4-wheeler. He even pointed out a rope attached to the 4-wheeler that he drove to the scene,” according to Chaffins.
Both the victim and Rowe arrived at the victim’s home, and as the victim sat at his computer, Rowe brandished a pocketknife and told the victim, according to Chaffins, that he “was going to kill him once he wrote the contract.”
The elderly victim wrote the contract and handed it over to Rowe. Rowe then sat at the kitchen table while the victim stood up and moved toward a small foyer near the kitchen, which contained an exit.
The victim told Chaffins that he knew that if he stayed any longer that he was going to be killed.
“He stated that he bolted for the door and was able to make it to his vehicle across the street,” Chaffins said.
The victim, who Chaffins said was “bloody and bruised” from being assaulted by Rowe, drove to the Grayson Co. Sheriff’s Office, as he left Rowe at his residence.
Later that evening, the suspect was located by family members as Rowe agreed to meet Chaffins at the sheriff’s office. He was interviewed “and admitted to most of the elements in which his elderly victim had described,” Chaffins stated.
The suspect was arrested and charged with first-degree robbery, kidnapping, fourth-degree assault and third-degree terroristic threatening.
Rowe was lodged in the Grayson County Detention Center on a $300,000 cash bond.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
