NORFOLK, Va. — Federal prosecutors accuse a man of pretending to be law enforcement when he knocked on a woman's door and then kidnapped her.
They said he drove her against her will from her Norfolk home and down to South Carolina back in 2022.
The WTKR News 3 Investigative Team dug into his background and found that he served time for a similar crime.
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Statement from the FBI: “I can confirm this is FBI Norfolk’s investigation and that investigators do believe there are more potential victims. Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI.”
The WTKR News 3 Investigative Team spoke to the suspect’s wife, Kathleen Leitner, who lives in Pennsylvania.
She said she got an email from a woman alleging that Kathleen's husband kidnapped her daughter.
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Federal prosecutors allege Troy Leitner went to Sheppard Avenue in Norfolk back in March of 2022 and told people living there he was a fugitive recovery agent, put a woman in handcuffs, told her she was under arrest, and took her away.
Documents indicate that a neighbor snapped a picture of his vehicle and license plate.
It states that the woman was on heroin. Leitner is accused of driving her to South Carolina, forcing her into hotels, handcuffing her to a table, and threatening to shoot her with his gun if she tried to run.
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It states at one point the woman told authorities said she was sexually assaulted.
But Leitner is not facing sexual assault charges.
She was sick from drugs, and he took her to a hospital in South Carolina where he allegedly told staff he was a bounty hunter.
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Staff got suspicious and contacted the local sheriff who started an investigation.
Leitner allegedly left the woman at the hospital.
Kathleen said her husband came back and was talking about being a bounty hunter.
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She explained that he’s been arrested two other times for similar crimes – one happened just days after he returned from South Carolina.
Court records outline how back on April 3, 2022 in Monroe County, PA police arrested Leitner after he went to a woman’s home and told her he was there to serve a warrant on her.
It states he was wearing a Kevlar vest and had a taser.
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Authorities ran the woman’s name and found that she had no warrants for her arrest.
Pennsylvania court records show he served two years in jail for impersonating a police officer and false imprisonment in April of 2022.
Now he has been sent down to Virginia to face the kidnapping charge from March of 2022.
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“Every time I get that notice saying he's out of custody, I get scared,” said Kathleen Leitner. She had a protective order against him.
Crime analyst Richard James has worked cases involving people impersonating law enforcement during his 30 years as a detective in Norfolk.
“Unfortunately, that happens a lot,” said James.
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He said if someone tells you they have an arrest warrant for you and you doubt their intentions he suggested calling 911.
He said most of the time law enforcement will tell dispatch or notify local police if they are executing a search warrant.
He said you can request to have an officer respond to the location.
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In this case, James praised the actions of those who got images of the suspect and his car.
“Cameras are a game changer in the criminal justice system and there's an old saying that a picture speaks a thousand words,” said James.
Kathleen said she got the protective order against her husband because he had been abusive toward her.
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“He would hold me down in the bed so he could do what he wanted with me,” said Kathleen.
She said she was heartbroken that any of the victims, especially the victim from Virginia.
“I feel bad for her 'cause I know what I went through. I could imagine,” said Kathleen.
WTKR wants to stress, that Troy Leitner has only been charged with kidnapping in Virginia.
He was never arrested for any kind of sexual assault.
His attorney said he could not comment on the case right now.
He is currently being held in the Western Tidewater Regional Jail until his next court hearing.
