LIBERTY — A 38-year-old man has been arrested on multiple charges after police say he lured a woman down from Canada with the promise of a modeling job.

Instead, the woman was kept captive and forced to perform sex acts over the course of several days.

At a press conference on Thursday, Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark laid out the details of the case that he referred to as “harrowing” and “deeply disturbing.”

Fred Russell Urey Sr., of 101 Cedar Court in Liberty, had been engaged in conversations with a woman from Alberta, Canada, via the Internet and various social media apps for approximately two months, Clark said.

“He presented himself to the victim as a professional photographer who was in need of hiring a model,” said Clark. “He told her she would be paid several thousand dollars.”

The victim, described only as an adult female aged 18 to 25, eventually agreed to the payment of $15,000 and was flown by Urey into the Atlanta airport where he picked her up and drove her back to Pickens County.

“At no time, according to the victim, was there ever any mention that the ‘modeling’ sessions would include nudity or acts of sexual behavior,” said Clark.

She was taken to a local hotel and stayed there one night before moving to a second hotel the next night, reports state.

“During the time that she was staying at the hotels, the suspect drove the victim to various locations in Pickens County and Anderson County and pointed out several sites where he informed the victim that he would like to use as ‘scenic backdrops’ for the photos,” said Clark. “On the third night, the suspect took the victim to his residence and he immediately used physical force to restrain her and threatened her safety as well as the safety of her family in Canada.”

She was forced to engage in various sex acts to include bondage, oral sex and sexual intercourse multiple times over several days, he said.

Authorities stated the victim was allowed to call home over her cell phone — but only under the close observation by her captor.

“As days passed by, the victim was able to send coded messages of distress to family members and friends. She was allowed to ‘Face Time’ her family and during those conversations her family sensed that she was extremely frightened and nervous,” a media report reads.

“The victim was able to silently mouth certain words as clues to her location and the identity of the suspect,” said Clark. “At times, she was even able to take snapshots and secretly send them to family and friends to help them learn of her location.”

The victim’s family in Alberta immediately notified the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and attempts were made in Canada to track the victim’s cell phone.

The cell phone provided the initial leads as to where she was being held, Clark said.

PCSO mobilized detectives and began searching for Urey, his vehicle and the victim after his identity was confirmed through investigation and the utilization of tracking technology, he said.

“Last night (Wednesday), at approximately 10:30 p.m., Pickens County deputies surrounded the suspect’s residence but numerous attempts to get someone to answer the door were unsuccessful,” said Clark. “In the moments to follow, deputies heard someone running inside the mobile home and suddenly they heard a scream seconds before the victim dove through a glass window onto the front yard.”

The woman was treated at a local hospital and was kept in a “safe, undisclosed location” until her family arrived to escort her back home.

She was kept by Urey for “at least four days,” according to Clark.

Following the woman’s break for freedom through the window, deputies broke through a barricaded front door and found the Urey in a back bedroom where he held deputies at bay with a knife to his own throat, Clark said.

“After a short period of time, the suspect surrendered the knife and he was immediately taken into custody and transported to the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office charged with kidnapping,” he stated at the press conference.

Deputies say a search of the residence turned up evidence corroborating the victim’s statement that she had been physically tied with restraints as well as “a quantity of methamphetamine.”

Urey remains in custody at the Pickens County Detention Center and is currently charged with kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine second offense.

Authorities are not ruling out additional charges.

“You don’t think this kind of thing happens here in Pickens County,” said Clark. “This just goes to show, if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere.”

Fred Russell Urey Sr.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Urey.jpgFred Russell Urey Sr. Courtesy photo

Fred Russell Urey Sr. remains in custody at the Pickens County Detention Center and is currently charged with kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine second offense.
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Urey1.jpgFred Russell Urey Sr. remains in custody at the Pickens County Detention Center and is currently charged with kidnapping, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine second offense. Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress

At a press conference on Thursday, Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark laid out the details of the case that he referred to as “harrowing” and “deeply disturbing.”
https://www.theeasleyprogress.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_Urey2.jpgAt a press conference on Thursday, Pickens County Sheriff Rick Clark laid out the details of the case that he referred to as “harrowing” and “deeply disturbing.” Kasie Strickland | The Sentinel-Progress
Police say man promised modeling job

By Kasie Strickland

kstrickland@civitasmedia.com

Reach Kasie Strickland at 864-855-0355.