A Sanford man says he was kidnapped, beaten, and then stabbed in the heart as he tried to run away, all over an alleged drug debt.

Three people face charges in connection with the scary incident that began on January 11th, when a 28-year-old man was lured to an abandoned apartment in Sanford by someone he knew. Police say, once the pair arrived at the apartment, 25-year-old Shantel Rodriguez, 26-year-old Dylan Austin, and 22-year-old Cody Boudreau arrived and held the victim against his will for several hours.

According to a post on the Sanford Police Department's Facebook page, the victim was then forced to make phone calls to try and procure a large amount of money to pay for his release. The BDN reports, he told investigators that his captors claimed he owed them $3,000 for drugs and an additional $5,000 for making them wait for the money. Police say that, during his captivity, the victim was beaten and feared for his life. When he was unable to raise the money the trio demanded, the victim tried to flee and was stabbed in the heart.

Sanford Police were alerted to the incident when a neighbor found the victim lying outside in a snowbank. He was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland with life-threatening injuries. A joint investigation involving Sanford Police, the State Police Major Crimes Unit, and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency led to the three suspects, who are each charged with Kidnapping and Aggravated Assault.

Austin appeared in court on Friday and bail was set at $10,000. Boudreau and Rodriguez made their first court appearance on Monday. Boudreau was released on $10,000 bail, while Rodriguez was held on $50,000 bail.

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