Pair Charged After Woman Kidnapped at Gunpoint in Moorhead

Oct 3

Two people are facing felony charges after police say they kidnapped a woman at gunpoint from a Moorhead apartment.

Prosecutors say the incident occurred on Sunday morning and the pair also threatened to traffic her for money.

According to the criminal complaints, 47-year-old William Terrell Cobbins and 28-year-old Brianna Larae Strong drove to the High Rise Apartment complex in Moorhead around 4:15 a.m. on Sept. 28 after Cobbins argued with the woman over the phone.

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A man who was with her told police Cobbins said she needed to come with him and made it sound like Strong just wanted to talk.

Both got into the vehicle with Cobbins and Strong. Strong was driving while Cobbins sat in the passenger seat. Once inside, Cobbins pulled out what appeared to be a gun and pointed it at both of them, saying the woman was coming with him because she had disrespected him and owed him money. He then ordered the man out of the car. When he complied, Strong drove away with Cobbins and the woman inside.

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The woman later told police she initially believed Strong wanted to reconnect, but when Cobbins pulled the gun, she tried to escape and discovered the child locks were engaged. She said she began to hyperventilate, at which point Strong told her, “Don’t start your crying bulls***, today you’re gonna learn.” Strong then demanded to know how much money she could come up with in 20 minutes and said she knew the woman’s mother had money. At one point, Strong allegedly said they were going to “sell this b****,” which the woman understood as a threat of sex trafficking.

Cobbins allegedly kept the gun pointed at her during the drive while Strong made the threats. Police later tracked the vehicle to the Bison Hotel in Fargo, where they found the woman with Cobbins and Strong and arrested both. Police say the gun used by Cobbins was determined to be a BB gun which had been modified to look like a real gun.

Cobbins is charged with kidnapping, two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and two counts of threats of violence with a firearm. Strong is charged with kidnapping, aiding and abetting two counts of second-degree assault, and aiding and abetting two counts of threats of violence.

If convicted, each faces up to 40 years in prison on the kidnapping charge alone, along with additional penalties for the assault and threats counts.

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