Man accused of kidnapping pregnant woman, digging burial hole

A woman said she was able to escape from a man who she said held her against her will.

On July 3, Cherokee County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Phelps was dispatched to East Meacer Street due to reports of a domestic disturbance. Phelps said the call notes stated Joey Duvall was holding a woman hostage in a back yard, and a family member was on their way with a shotgun.

Deputies and Cherokee Nation Marshal deputies arrived about the same time and made contact with the victim, who pulled up in a red truck.

"One of the neighbors told us that Joey Duvall was hiding in a tree house that was in the back yard. We attempted to call Joey out of the tree house. When there was no response, I asked [Grand River Dam Authority] Police Officer Bobby Robertson if he could hit the tree house with a couple of pepper balls to force Joey out," Phelps said in his sheriff's report.

Pepper balls were fired into the tree house but Phelps said no one was found inside. The victim said Duvall held a knife to her throat, assaulted her, and threatened to kill her.

"Eventually, she was able to find the keys for the truck and she was able to escape from Joey," Phelps said.

Phelps said the victim had visible injuries to her face. She also said she saw Duvall run back into the residence on Meacer Street as she was leaving. She said Duvall was possibly still inside and a neighbor told deputies he was.

"We knocked on the door multiple times and announced ourselves as sheriff's deputies and yelled for Joey to come to the door. He did not answer the door, and then the owner of the house arrived and let us into the house," Phelps said.

Duvall was found hiding in the garage and he was taken into custody.

Additionally, the victim told deputies that Duvall took her out to the back yard, where he supposedly dug a hole in the ground.

"While he was walking her back to the hold, he stated multiple times, 'Come on, bit**. I'm going to kill you.' 'If I go to jail, I'll have someone kill you.' 'You'll die before midnight tonight and your whole family too.' He also stated, 'I'm going to show you the hole you'll be buried in,'" Phelps said.

The victim showed Phelps the hole and he said it was roughly three feet deep and 3-4 feet long. She said Duvall walked her back to the residence when she tried running toward the truck, but Duvall allegedly knocked her to the ground and kicked her in her stomach. According to the report, the victim is pregnant.

"[She] also stated that Joey is a member of the Savage Boys gang and was sure that he would be contacting members of the gang to 'take care of' her and her family," Phelps said.

Duvall was transported to the Cherokee County Detention Center and booked for kidnapping, felony domestic assault and battery, and threatening to perform acts of violence.