- By Adam Silverman
Free Press Staff Writer

A 21-year-old man is in custody after police said he held a woman captive for two days at his Burlington apartment and repeatedly beat and sexually assaulted her.

James Whitehouse II was ordered jailed without bail at the Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility after he pleaded innocent Friday to felony charges of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault and aggravated domestic assault.

The 20-year-old woman, whom court papers do not identify, was able to escape from the apartment Thursday when Whitehouse went to work, Detective Michael Henry of the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, which investigates sex crimes, said in court papers.

Police allege that Whitehouse forced the woman to stay in the Marble Avenue apartment starting Tuesday, at one point tying her up in the basement and stuffing her into a cardboard box. The woman was treated Thursday at Fletcher Allen Health Care's emergency room for injuries to her head, body and one of her eyes, Henry said in court papers.

Whitehouse faces life in prison and fines of $50,000 for both the kidnapping and sexual-assault charges, and up to 15 years and a fine of $25,000 for the domestic-assault charge, if he is convicted, court records show. He also is facing a misdemeanor charge of domestic assault.

The woman told police the following happened, according to court papers:

-- After she arrived at the apartment about 6:30 p.m., Whitehouse began yelling at her and repeatedly slammed her head into a wall. He strangled her until she nearly passed out and punched her while he dragged her to a couch. As the two argued, Whitehouse threw a remote control at the woman, striking her in the eye.

"She then started shaking and she could taste blood in the back of her throat," court papers say. "She put her hand over the top of her eye and began screaming that her eye was bleeding."

-- Whitehouse refused to let the woman leave the house, grabbed her and dragged her into the basement. In the basement, he shoved her into a large cardboard box, bound her feet with hand towels and tied her legs to a cinder-block post with shoestrings. Whitehouse bolted the basement door behind him when he left.

-- He returned after several hours, apologized, and when she refused to go to bed with him pulled her by the hair to the bedroom, tore off her clothing and had sex with her. "She continued to tell him to stop," court papers say, "but Whitehouse would not listen."

-- When Whitehouse left for work Thursday, the woman called her family, gathered her belongings and left the apartment.

Police went to the apartment Friday with a search warrant to gather evidence, including the cardboard box, shoelaces and washcloths.

When police interviewed Whitehouse, he replied, "I think you guys are accusing me of something that I didn't do," Henry said in court papers.

Whitehouse requested a public defender during his arraignment Friday. A review of Whitehouse's bail conditions is scheduled for 3 p.m. next Friday.
Contact Adam Silverman at 660-1854 or asilverm@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com
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