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Ohio man who was tortured and held in dog cage stole ambulance during escape, police say

Authorities began investigating after an ambulance was stolen from a fire station in Springboro, Ohio, on Saturday.

An Ohio man who stole an ambulance and drove himself to the hospital was later determined to be a kidnapping victim who had been locked in a dog cage and tortured for several days, according to police.

Authorities began investigating after an ambulance was stolen from a fire station in Springboro on Saturday.

The Clearcreek Fire District said in a news release posted on Facebook that crews were responding to a vehicle fire when someone smashed a window to gain entry to the station. The ambulance and the 22-year-old man who took the vehicle were later found at Dayton Children's Hospital.

Image: Christopher Edwards.
Christopher Edwards.Warren County Jail

Clearcreek police Sgt. Wallace Stacy told NBC affiliate WLWT in Cincinnati that the man told police that he had been held against his will and tortured for several days at a home in Clearcreek, about 20 miles south of Dayton.

When he was able to escape, the man ran to the fire station and took the ambulance, Stacy told the outlet.

The victim, who has not been identified, is recovering at a hospital in Dayton.

An investigation into the kidnapping led to the arrest of 38-year-old Christopher Edwards. According to a criminal complaint, Edwards forced the victim inside the home and with the help of others terrorized and assaulted the man for days. The 22-year-old was kept "restrained and harbored in a dog cage," the document states.

Edwards was arraigned Monday on kidnapping and felonious assault. A judge set his bond at $350,000.

Stacy told WLWT that authorities are looking for other suspects and additional charges are pending.