Kidnapping victim testifies at hearing

By SARAH THOMAS

Staff writer

A kidnapping victim testified how she feared for her life after allegedly being kidnapped by a Moyie Springs man.

The testimony from Friday's preliminary hearing from the victim and another witness gave the judge enough evidence to continue the case against Joseph A. Manley.

Manley, 23, is accused of picking up the 29-year-old Moyie Springs woman from a bar and forcing her into his vehicle, where he bashed her head into the dash, according to court records.

He then drove her back to his house, where he is accused of slamming her head into the floor and wall, according to court records.

"I didn't say or do anything," the victim told the court. "I thought it would be my best bet."

Two women, who were also at the bar and allegedly saw Manley forcing her into his vehicle, called the sheriff's office with the license plates of Manley's Ford Bronco.

Police arrived at his home in Moyie, where they found Manley and the victim, according to court records.

He was arrested, and the victim was taken to the Boundary Community Hospital, where she was treated and released for a concussion and a hairline fracture in her jaw.

Manley is being held on a $50,000 bond in Boundary County Jail.