Three people face felony charges after a man allegedly was held hostage and beaten in a Wildwood home, according to court documents.
Cejay J. Young, 31, of Ballwin allegedly held the man hostage at a home in the 19300 block of Babler Forest Drive for seven days and beat the man, threatened to kill him and destroyed items inside the house, the probable-cause statement said.
Robert D. Crutcher, 36, of Ballwin and Melissa E. Faix, 36, of Chesterfield allegedly watched Young pistol whip the victim and stole two ATVs and a pistol from the home, the report said.
The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office on Oct. 16 charged Young with first-degree kidnapping and first-degree robbery, both class A felonies; first-degree burglary, a class B felony; unlawful possession of a firearm, a class C felony; second-degree assault, a class D felony; and two counts of armed criminal action, which are unclassified felonies, according to court records.
Crutcher on Oct. 30 was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, a class C felony, and two counts of stealing a motor vehicle and one count of stealing a firearm, all three class D felonies, court documents show. Faix on Oct. 30 was charged with two counts of stealing a motor vehicle, both class D felonies, according to court records.
The case’s probable-cause statement said, Young was allowed to come into the Wildwood home on Sept. 12 by an acquaintance of the man who was allegedly held hostage. The next day, the man noticed his credit cards and $100 was missing, and when he confronted Young, he was allegedly punched and forced into a bathroom at gunpoint, the report said.
The man was held in the home from Sept. 13 through Sept. 19. He was able to tell police about his ordeal on Sept. 19 when officers came to the Wildwood home while investigating a different crime, according to the report. The man told police that he was being held hostage.
Young ran away from the home after officers spoke to the alleged victim. Officers chased Young for approximately 3 1/2 hours before they caught him and arrested him, the report said.
The day police arrived, Young allegedly told the man that they would go to the ATM to get money, and Young may not kill the man, according to the report.
The man told officers that Young said he would kill the man and his dog if the police were called. He also said Young beat him every day, forced him to clean up his own blood and take unknown pills at night, the probable-cause statement said.
Young also destroyed the man’s television, five laptops and other items in the home, the report said.
Crutcher and Faix came to the Wildwood throughout the week the man was allegedly held hostage. They stole two ATVs and a 9mm Canik pistol from the home, according to the probable-cause statement.
Officers allegedly found the ATVs at Crutcher’s home, and the gun was found in Faix’s pickup, the report said.
Young was convicted in 2020 of kidnapping and assaulting a man in Gray Summitt, court records show.
In that case, deputies found the victim with injuries and zip ties around his wrists after he escaped. That victim told police he was assaulted multiple times and placed in a dog cage, the probable-cause statement said.
Young was sentenced to five years in prison following a plea deal with Franklin County prosecutors, court records show
He was transferred to the Missouri Department of Corrections in August 2020. He was released on parole in January 2023.
Young, as of Nov. 1, is being held without bond at St. Louis County Jail. Crutcher and Faix as of Nov. 1 were being held on $250,000 cash-only bonds at St. Louis County Jail, court documents said.
Class A felonies are punishable by 10 to 30 years or life in prison. A class B felony carries a penalty of five to 15 years in prison, and a class C felony is punishable by three to 10 years in prison. A class D felony carries a penalty of up to seven years in prison, and an unclassified felony is punishable by three to 15 years in priso