CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Illinois woman who claimed she was being taken to Florida against her will and was rescued by a Clarksville man, was arrested Thursday and charged with filing a false report.
On Tuesday, Brittany Webb, 29, of Lawrenceville, Illinois, told the 23-year-old Clarksville medical student that she needed help getting away from Kyle Gosnell.
When Clarksville Police officers arrived at the Dollar General on Trenton Road, Webb told them that Gosnell drove her from Illinois to Clarksville, and that he would not let her leave the vehicle, according to court records obtained by Clarksville Now.
Webb also told responding officers she had only agreed to get in the vehicle to smoke a joint and ride around town with Gosnell, but instead Gosnell kept driving.
Gosnell, 37, was arrested Tuesday and charged with false imprisonment.
But on Wednesday, CPD received a tip that Webb was lying, and that Gosnell was falsely accused, the records said.
On Thursday, officers discovered messages Webb sent on social media just two hours before Gosnell was arrested – two hours into the four-hour drive from Illinois.
In the messages, Webb said she was going to Florida, but “got into an argument, and got left,” according to the records. The messages revealed Webb agreed to go to Florida with Gosnell, and at one point volunteered to help drive.
When investigators confronted Webb, she at first maintained her story. Then she changed her tune, and said she did agree to go to Florida, but got halfway there and realized she didn’t want to go, according to the court records.
The man who tried to help
Jauan Clay-Cartagena, the 23-year-old Clarksville man who thought he was helping Webb escape, was mostly at a loss for words Friday morning.
“At the end of the day, at least I feel like I did something good for somebody who told me they didn’t want to be in a situation. That’s the best I can do,” Cartagena told Clarksville Now.
“I apologize to anyone who took offense to my actions and I hope you understand there are many women who make these claims everyday, I don’t want to be the one who didn’t listen,” he added in a Facebook post.
Cartagena also praised the people of Clarksville who reached out to try and help Webb. He added that one responding police officer told him he suspected Webb and Gosnell knew each other more than they initially let on.
“Hopefully (Gosnell’s) charges are going to be dropped,” Cartagena said.
Police Detective Michael Patterson confirmed to Clarksville Now that the false imprisonment charge against Gosnell will be dropped, and he is in the process of being released.