Corbin man arrested for assaulting, imprisoning woman in a tent

A Corbin man was arrested Tuesday at the Corbin Walmart where his girlfriend reportedly fled after being held against her will for several days.

Laurel County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Elmo Clinton Carroll, 35, on charges of second-degree unlawful imprisonment and fourth-degree assault.

Deputy Gilbert Acciardo, the department’s public affairs officer, stated that deputies were called to the scene at approximately 6:15 p.m. in response to a report that a woman was hiding inside the store with the assistance of employees. The woman had told the employees that her boyfriend, later identified as Carroll had held her against her will and that they had been living in a tent on property in Laurel County.

“When deputies arrived at the scene, they learned that store personnel had apparently assisted the female victim in hiding out in the store as her boyfriend pushed a buggy through the store searching for her,” Acciardo stated.

Deputies searched the store and took Carroll into custody.

“Deputies learned from the female that allegedly when she tried to escape from the tent on the property in Laurel County her boyfriend would hit her again and again,” Acciardo stated noting deputies discovered evidence of visible injuries on the victim, both old and new, to her face, jaw, and nose.

The two had come to the store that night to purchase supplies, when she was able to escape.

Carroll is being held in the Laurel County Correctional Center on a $2,500 cash bond.

By Dean Manning
Corbin/Whitley News Journal