LAKE CITY. Fla. – On the evening of New Year’s Day, Lake City Police Department officers arrested a Tampa man in connection to a kidnapping of someone he met on a dating app.
The victim, who is a Tampa resident, told police they agreed to meet 29-year-old Maxim Mark Dowd in Tampa on Sunday.
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Police said after hanging out for a few minutes, the victim went with Dowd to a convenience store. After leaving the store, the victim asked Dowd to take them home.
Dowd made excuses and drove to several locations in Central Florida, attempting to meet other people at each location. The victim asked to be taken home after leaving each location and Dowd refused, according to LCPD.
After arriving at a home in Lake City, the victim told a resident of the home that they were driven from Tampa to Lake City — which is about a three-hour drive — against their will. The resident contacted law enforcement.
Dowd was arrested and transported to the Columbia County Detention Center.
Dowd is charged with kidnapping, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of more than one valid driver’s license, and resisting an officer without violence.
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