Two Jackson County, Ala., men charged in separate violent incidents

Jackson County, Ala., authorities on Sunday charged one man with kidnapping an elderly Letcher community woman and tying her up, while another man was charged with assaulting his elderly mother, according to a news release.

James Finch Flowers, 71, of Woodville, Ala., was charged in the first incident with burglary, first-degree, kidnapping, first-degree and violation of an order of protection, officials said.

Investigators say Flowers and the 70-year-old victim in the case had a previous relationship. Flowers had tied the woman up Sunday at her County Road 317 home but she was able to escape after her abductor left the room, the release states. She went to a friend’s home nearby to call authorities at about 4 p.m. CDT.

“While the deputy was taking the report, [Flowers] arrived and confessed to the incident,” the release states.

The victim was not injured.

In an unrelated incident Sunday about 9:30 p.m. CDT, Jackson County authorities charged Terris Nathaniel Hastings, 55, with domestic violence by strangulation, domestic violence, third-degree assault, driving under the influence and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, the release states.

Authorities say Hastings assaulted his 72-year-old mother and fled her home on County Road 1 in the Paint Rock community just before deputies arrived, the release states.

Hastings was located shortly afterward at the end of County Road 401, and deputies said he smelled of alcohol, officials said. Deputies seized several pills at the arrest scene, according to the release.

Flowers is at the Jackson County Jail on $30,000 bond, while Hastings is held on $18,000 bond.