Former Mountain View Chevrolet Car Dealer Charged With Kidnapping And Extortion Of Thousands Of Dollars From Partially Disabled Customer Is Charged With Three Federal Charges

Former Mountain View Chevrolet salesman who officials say kidnapped partially paralyzed customer and forced him to withdraw money from bank account “out of fear of death” has been indicted by grand jury on three counts.

Daniel Clayton Bryant, who had fled the area and was found in Texas, is charged with kidnapping, bank robbery and money laundering, according to the federal indictment obtained by prosecutors on April 23.

In their indictment, federal prosecutors said they also wanted Bryant, if found guilty, to waive any proceeds of the alleged kidnapping and any other property involved in the offense. His assets include nearly $ 288,000 in his bank account, according to the federal indictment.

A federal affidavit accused Bryant of unwillingly driving a partially disabled Mountain View customer to several banks in Tennessee and Georgia between April 1, 2019 and April 2, 2019, withdrawing nearly $ 200,000 from the bank’s account. customer in cashier’s checks, depositing them in his account, then forcing him at one point to smoke crack cocaine in a hotel room.

Two days after Chattanooga police found the disabled man on April 3 and made a report, an FBI agent was granted permission to withdraw money from Bryant’s bank account and track his cell phones, according to documents. Bryant then fled to Atlanta and was eventually captured in Texas. Court records show that no lawyer has appeared on his behalf, and he does not yet have a scheduled court date.

In a first hearing Tuesday in Texas federal court, Bryant was considered a flight risk and a danger to the community and was remanded in custody. Hamilton County Jail records do not show him as being held there, but often people facing federal charges are being held elsewhere.

Contact editor Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @ zackpeterson918.