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UPS driver helps free woman held captive after she writes 'contact 911' on box

FRANKLIN COUNTY, Mo. — A UPS driver called police Tuesday after picking up a package with the words "contact 911" scrawled on the box, saving a woman who had been held captive and sexually assaulted for hours at a home in Missouri, deputies said.

The driver, who was not identified, was making a scheduled pick-up at a home in Robertsville around 11 a.m. when a woman handed him the package.

Franklin County Sheriff's Office deputies learned that a 3-year-old child lived in the house, along with a man with a criminal history that includes assault charges. The man had access to rifles, deputies said, and was believed to be armed with a .45-caliber handgun.

The man, identified as 33-year-old James Jordan, refused to cooperate with authorities, but surrendered peacefully shortly afterward, deputies said.

The victim told investigators that Jordan held her captive for hours, starting on Monday night, KMOV reported. Authorities said in court records that Jordan refused to let the woman leave the home or use the telephone. He beat her, sexually assaulted her, put a gun to her head and threatened to kill her, according to court records. At one point the victim attempted to escape, but she told investigators that Jordan pulled her back to the home by her hair.

The 3-year-old child was locked in a bedroom without food or water, deputies said.

Sgt. T.J. Wild of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office told KMOV that the actions of the UPS driver "made a huge difference."

In a statement released to CNN, the delivery company praised its driver.

"We are grateful this UPS driver, with more than a decade of service, followed protocol when he saw a customer in distress," a UPS spokesperson said. "Our drivers are very familiar with their routes, and are trained to be aware of their surroundings and respond to requests for assistance."

Jordan is charged with domestic assault, sodomy, felonious restraint, unlawful use of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child. He was ordered held on a $100,000 cash bond.