Marshalltown man accused of abducting girlfriend

A Marshalltown man is in custody after the alleged abduction of his ex-girlfriend. 19-year old Robert Anthony Ratliff was arrested by Marshalltown police yesterday and charged with 1st degree kidnapping. At approximately 4:00 Tuesday afternoon, a 19-year old Marshalltown woman reported to police that she had been held against her will for 12 hours by Ratliff, her former boyfriend. The woman alleged that Ratliff threatened to kill her numerous times with various knives, sharpened knives in front of her, and at one point demonstrated the sharpness of an 8-inch boning knife. The woman was able to escape and drive to the police department. According to Marshalltown Police Chief Lon Walker, the victim suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident, but was not stabbed. On Sunday, Ratliff was arrested and charged with burglary after allegedly breaking in to the woman’s home and stealing her dog. Bond for Ratliff was set at half-a-million dollars this morning.