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Charges dropped against Cypress man accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting teen

Joel Micah Arnold was arrested in March after the 17-year-old told deputies she escaped from a storage unit where he'd been holding her hostage.

CYPRESS, Texas — Kidnapping charges have been dropped against a Cypress man accused of holding a teen hostage in a storage unit last March, according to the Harris County DA's Office.

Joel Micah Arnold, 34, had been charged with kidnapping. 

"When prosecutors confronted the witness with newly uncovered evidence that did not match her earlier statements, she asked that the case not proceed to trial; she would not testify," Dane Schiller with the DA's Office said.

Back in March, Harris County Precinct 1 investigators said a 17-year-old girl was kidnapped, drugged, raped and held hostage. She told deputies she was able to escape and call for help and Arnold was arrested.

His bond was set at $300,000 and the judge ordered a mental health evaluation.

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