Woman denies boyfriend locked her in room for years
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MYFOXNY.COM -
The New Jersey woman found inside a padlocked room in an apartment in Paterson said she asked her boyfriend to lock her inside.
Nancy Rodriguez Duran says her boyfriend is "a good man" who has never abused her.
Speaking to reporters before Michael Mendez, 42, appeared in court Tuesday, Duran says her boyfriend was going out and she was worried about maintenance workers coming into their apartment and seeing her in a nightgown.
Mendez is charged with kidnapping and other counts after police discovered the locked bedroom while searching for drugs. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday and remains held on $1 million bail.
On Monday, State troopers said the woman may have been padlocked in the bedroom for as long as ten years.
Members of the State Police Street Gang unit were searching the home in Paterson for drugs on Thursday.
State police say detectives entered the locked bedroom and found Michael Mendez's 44-year-old girlfriend.
Based on interviews and evidence, State Police spokesman acting Sgt. 1st Class Brian Polite says investigators believe the woman was kept in the bedroom for extended periods of time for the last two years and up to possibly ten years.
Investigators say the woman was let out of the room when her boyfriend was home.
Mendez is charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment and drug charges. He is accused of being a member of the Latin King gang.
The woman was transported to St. Joseph's Medical Center in Paterson for a medical evaluation.
Police say they found more than $100,000 worth of prescription pills in the home.
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