Person of Interest in Casper Kidnapping Arrested on Unrelated Charges
A man who police say is a person of interest in the alleged kidnapping of a 95-year-old woman on Tuesday was arrested late Wednesday on unrelated charges.
Adam Ray McClure, 22, was booked into jail on recommended charges of conspiracy and felonious restraint. He will likely make his initial appearance in Natrona County Circuit Court at 2 p.m. Thursday.
McClure was identified on Wednesday as a person of interest in an alleged kidnapping which took place Tuesday. Police said on Thursday that McClure has not been considered a suspect in that incident at any point, but he remains a person of interest -- as do several other people.
According to court documents, McClure and two other men allegedly assaulted a fourth man in late 2017 over what was thought to be a drug deal gone bad.
In early January, the alleged victim told a detective that three men had come to his house at about 5 p.m. on Dec. 25. Police identified the three men as McClure, Ryan Heidekrueger and Shane Connely.
The three men allegedly went into the victim's apartment in "an aggressive manner" and started looking for another man. McClure and Heidekrueger allegedly flashed gang signs, and McClure said, "He's Folks," referring to an alliance of street gangs in the Chicago area.
Connely reportedly used a baseball bat to smash the victim's television as well as a portable electric heater. The three then began to ask the victim about the whereabouts of the other man.
Heidekrueger allegedly started punching the victim in the face when he didn't respond, and McClure allegedly held the victim while Heidekrueger pulled out a handgun and used it to hit the victim multiple times.
The victim later learned he had a broken jaw.
Heidekrueger allegedly ordered McClure to take the victim outside to a red Chevrolet Suburban, and all four men got into the vehicle. The victim told police that he wasn't physically forced into the vehicle, but felt that he didn't have a choice in the matter.
The group drove around in the area of the Wyoming Medical Center, interrogating the victim in an effort to determine the location of the other man. Heidekrueger and McClure allegedly beat the victim while Connely drove.
The victim told police that Heidekrueger eventually ordered McClure to throw the victim out of the vehicle.
The victim was hesitant to report the assault, he told the detective, because he had previously testified against a gang member in a homicide case in another city. Afterward, that gang put out an order to kill the victim.
Since McClure and Heidekrueger were allegedly involved in gang activity, the victim told police, he wasn't sure about reporting the incident.
It turned out that Connely, Heidekrueger and McClure were trying to find a person who reportedly promised to get them methamphetamine, but had not yet returned with their money. The victim told police the other man returned with the meth on Dec. 26, the day after the assault.
A detective interviewed Connely in January. Connely was later arrested in February for driving with a suspended license.
Several people were interviewed during the course of the investigation, and a number of them told varying stories regarding the whereabouts of the people allegedly involved in the incident on Dec. 25.
McClure was interviewed by police on the afternoon of March 6. He changed his story at multiple points in the interview, according to court documents, but ultimately gave a version of events similar to the victim's story.
McClure was released following that interview, but was arrested late Wednesday after he was identified as a person of interest in the alleged assault and kidnapping of a 95-year-old Casper woman.
McClure is not charged in connection with Tuesday's incident. His arrest late Wednesday stems only from the alleged incident on Dec. 25.