LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Grayson County man was arrested and charged with holding a Realtor at knifepoint over a contract for a house he wanted to get for his niece.
Grayson County Sheriff Norman Chaffins said in a news release that it happened Wednesday. That's when an elderly man was showing a home on the lake in the Falls of Rough area to 71-year-old Keith Rowe.
Once inside the home, Rowe locked the door, began assaulting the Realtor and demanded he write up a contract or he would kill him, police said.
Court documents state that Rowe told the victim the contract — for $225,000 — was for his niece.
According to police, Rowe also told the man if he didn’t hand over his phone, he would "beat his brains in."
The man told Rowe he couldn’t write up the contract without his computer, which was inside his home across the street.
Police said Rowe walked the man across the street and told him if he tried to escape to his vehicle, he would tie a rope around his neck and drag him with a four-wheeler he drove to the scene.
Once the man began writing up the contract, Rowe stood over him, pulled out a pocketknife, unfolded it and told the victim he would kill him once the contract was completed.
The victim told police that after handing over the contract, he ran toward the door and got to his vehicle across the street.
He then drove to the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office to report the incident because he didn’t have his phone.
According to court documents, Rowe’s family was able to find him using the Life360 app, which showed him driving on Kentucky 54 toward Leitchfield.
Family members convinced Rowe to drive to the police station, and he corroborated much of the victim’s account, court documents state.
Rowe was initially charged with robbery, kidnapping, assault and terroristic threatening.
He was taken to the Grayson County Detention Center. His bond was set at $300,000.
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