(Photo Source: Cortland County).
A Watertown man who kidnapped and threatened to kill a woman and an 18-month old girl in 2021 was convicted last Monday in Cortland County Court in front of a trial by jury, according to court documents.
Court docs noted that Jeremy L. Flowers, 35 of Philadelphia, N.Y. was convicted of petit larceny and assault with criminal negligence by causing injury with a weapon. Flowers, however, was acquitted of a handful of charges, including two counts of second-degree kidnapping.
Flowers’ sentencing to prison is slated for 2:30 p.m. Jan. 5. Details on the length of his sentencing remains to be seen.
Following the trial, Flowers was released on one’s own recognizance.
According to court docs, on March 17 of last year, the adult female victim, the baby girl and Flowers were at a Red Roof Inn in Utica around 9 p.m. The female victim noted in a documented deposition that following a normal day, Flowers suddenly “wasn’t acting right.” This prompted the victim to call the Utica Police Department.
The documented deposition noted that Flowers “pushed (the victim) around the room.” Flowers then stole $2,000 from the victim through the Cash app. Flowers told the victim they needed to leave, forcing the victim and her baby girl into the victim’s car.
According to the documented deposition, Flowers told the victim to drive and said they were heading to Atlanta, Ga. While the victim was driving the car, Flowers punched the victim “all over her body” and spit on her as well, the document noted.
The docs noted that Flowers told the victim if she continues to lie about cheating on him, he would hurt the victim and her daughter. He also threatened to crash the victim’s car.
The victim noted that Flowers pulled out what looked like a kitchen steak knife and “put it in front” of the victim’s face, the docs noted.
Flowers continued to demand the victim to tell the truth. According to docs, Flowers “reached into the back seat” and hit the victim’s daughter “twice on the top of her head.”
The baby girl, sleeping for most of the drive, woke up and started crying, which made the victim cry, according to the documented deposition.
Flowers, the victim and her daughter soon found themselves at a gas station in Cortland. Flowers ordered the victim to fill up the gas tank and buy cigarettes, and not try to contact police. Instead, the victim went inside and looked for help.
The clerks inside the gas station called the police while the victim hid in a storage closet. City of Cortland police officers arrived and found the victim “severely beaten,” according to a report. Surveillance footage from the gas station showed Flowers drive away with the baby girl when the victim ran inside the gas station.
The victim’s phone was still inside the vehicle. This led to the victim and city police officers tracking Flowers with her phone during the pre-dawn hours of March 18. Flowers’ location was relayed to New York State troopers in Pennsylvania, who “successfully intercepted” Flowers on Interstate-81, the report noted.
Flowers was taken into custody and the authorities safely recovered the uninjured baby girl.
According to state prison records, Flowers was released from state prison on March 26, 2020 after finishing a 13-month-long sentence for possessing drugs with the intent to sell. He was previously incarcerated for two years for felony, fourth-degree grand larceny and released from state prison in 2015, noted in records.
