MOUNT CLEMENS, Mich. – A Mount Clemens man is accused of strangling, robbing and tying up his female landlord, who had to pretend to lose consciousness to stop the attack and use the edge of a shovel to cut herself loose, police said.
Woman choked, tied up, robbed
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Shane Fountain, 48, asked his landlord to open the garage for him April 2 and began choking her from behind, according to authorities.
"Sorry, this will be over soon," Fountain told the woman, police said.
She struggled to breathe and felt lightheaded, so she pretended to lose consciousness in hopes Fountain would stop strangling her, officials said.
Fountain used duct tape to bind the woman's hands behind her back, tape her ankles together and put tape over her mouth, according to officials.
He took her cellphone from her pocket and her diamond engagement ring worth $17,000 from her finger before leaving, police said.
Landlord escapes
When Fountain left, the woman used the metal edge of a shovel to cut herself loose, police said.
She ran into her home and screamed for help from her roomates, according to authorities.
Emergency officials were called, and her fiance came home and took her to McLaren Hospital, police said.
All surrounding police departments were told to be on the lookout for Fountain.
Fountain arrested
Officials learned Fountain had taken the diamond ring to Zeidman's Pawn Shop in Detroit, where he sold it for $3,000.
Clinton Township police brought a warrant to the Macomb County Prosecutor's Office charging Fountain with three felonies.
On April 11, Fountain was taken into custody by Amtrak security officials in Washington, D.C., on his way to Florida, according to authorities.
Clinton Township police took Fountain back to Michigan.
"This obviously was a terrifying experience for the complainant," Macomb County Prosecutor Eric Smith said. "This was fantastic police work by Clinton Township to coordinate with Amtrak and D.C. police to get the suspect arrested."
Fountain was arraigned Monday in 41-B District Court. He is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.