Man accused of abducting his girlfriend

ALGOMA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) - A 22-year-old Algoma Township man was arraigned Tuesday for allegedly abducting his girlfriend on September 4.

Andrew Cheslek faces charges of criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, kidnapping and weapons charges.

Cheslek and his girlfriend were seen just before 6 a.m. Friday at the Mobil gas station, 3620 14 Mile Road NE, in Algoma Township.

24 Hour News 8 talked to a clerk at the gas station who said the man came into the store to buy some cigarettes. The woman then came into the store with her hands bound behind her back with zip ties, crying, panicking and screaming for help. The man then picked her up and ran out of the store. They were seen leaving in an SUV.

The clerk then called police.

At some time later in the morning, police say the woman was able to escape and go to her home on the northwest side of Grand Rapids. She was apparently uninjured.

Investigators then released pictures from the gas station's surveillance video, showing the suspect and victim. Deputies acted on tips from viewers, who saw the surveillance pictures on television, and went to the suspect's residence near the gas station just before 10 a.m. Police confronted the man, later identifed as Andrew Cheslek, and took him into custody on felony assault charges.

Police found a piece of duct tape with black hair on it, which may be connected to the incident.

Authorities used a search warrant to further investigate Cheslek's home.