Avery Kidnapping Suspect's Bond Set At $500,000


The bond has been set for an Avery County Man who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman earlier this week. 54 year old Michael Laws was given a $500,000 bond after he was arrested and charged with the kidnapping and sexual assault of a Beech Mountain Woman. According to the Avery Sheriff's Department, Laws tied up the woman at a home on Russ Norris Road in Beech Mountain and assaulted her. The woman was able to escape the home and run to a neighbor's house where she called the police. Deputies with the Avery County Sheriff's Department arrived shortly after, taking Laws into custody. Laws was charged with First Degree Kidnapping, an attempted sex offense, assault by strangulation, manufacturing marijuana, and assault on a female. The woman suffered serious injuries from the assault and was flown to the Johnson City Medical Center.