Formal charges have been filed against a Knox man accused of handcuffing, shackling and water boarding a woman at his Bass Lake area home. Employees at Bass Lake Pub and Ristorante called 911 after the woman showed up there early last Wednesday afternoon and told them she had managed to escape. Benny Giselbach was arrested nearby by deputies from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office after a multi-agency manhunt.
Starke County Prosecutor Nicholas Bourff tells WKVI News Giselbach has been formally charged with criminal confinement as a Level 3 Felony, battery as a Level 5 Felony and resisting law enforcement as a Class A Misdemeanor. He’s also facing an escape charge for allegedly cutting his Starke County Community Corrections ankle bracelet off. A criminal recklessness charge stemming from a February incident in Starke County is also pending. Deputies responded to an open-line 911 call from his wife and say Giselbach threatened to harm her, himself and officers. He was free on bond, which has since been revoked. Giselbach’s bond on the criminal confinement charge is $100,000 surety, along with a separate $50,000 bond for escape.
Bourff has also filed charges against an Ober man accused of holding his girlfriend against her will at their Washington Township home last Friday. Chief Deputy Kenny Pfost from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office arrested Shawn Heck, 28, without incident. He’s been formally charged with criminal confinement as a Level 3 Felony, intimidation as a Level 5 Felony and domestic battery as a Level 6 Felony. Heck’s girlfriend claims he beat her the previous night, threatened her with a baseball bat and told her he would burn her parents’ house down if she tried to leave. Heck’s bond is $100,000 surety.
Both Giselbach and Heck made their initial appearances in Starke Circuit Court on Monday.
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