Two Law Enforcement Agents Commended
U.S. Attorney Recognizes Madison Police Detective and ATF Agent
for Efforts in Attempted Kidnapping Case
Madison, Wis. - John W. Vaudreuil, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, has recognized Madison Police Detective Cory Nelson and Special Agent William Baudhuin (Bō - dwin) of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for their efforts in a major violent crime investigation.
U.S. Attorney Vaudreuil today presented Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin with plaques acknowledging their exemplary work which resulted in the federal conviction of Trevor Lucas, 22, Gloucester, Mass., for brandishing a firearm during an attempted kidnapping. Today’s presentation was attended by Madison Police Chief Noble Wray and ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard J. Zapor.
On August 26, 2009, a young man knocked on the door of a home in Madison, Wis. When the woman who owned the home opened the door, the young man said he was looking for CG - the woman’s minor son. When the woman asked the man for identification, he pulled out a black handgun and pointed it at her face. The woman was able to slam the door in the intruder’s face, and he drove away. The woman’s minor son was in the basement of the home at the time.
Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin began working the case immediately. They identified Trevor Lucas as the suspect when his father called the victim’s home the next day while police were there. Lucas’ father told police he was looking for Lucas, who had been gone from their Massachusetts home for several days. Lucas’ father said he had found the Madison minor’s name and number in Trevor Lucas’ bedroom.
Officers in Massachusetts executed a warrant on Trevor Lucas’ car, where they recovered two loaded semi-automatic handguns with extra magazines and ammunition; two stun guns; three canisters of pepper spray; seven pairs of handcuffs; 28 flex restraints; three rolls of duct tape; one box of latex gloves; three military-style knives; a concealable shoulder holster; and a metal police-style baton.
Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin traveled to Boston in September 2009. They reviewed the search evidence and discovered that the emergency trunk latch on Lucas’ car had been disabled. They investigated further and learned that Lucas had asked an employee of an automotive store in Massachusetts to disable his emergency trunk latch. That same employee later saw the trunk of Lucas’ car lined in clear plastic on either August 23 or 24, 2009. Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin also found a piece of the phone that later investigation proved Lucas had used when traveling to Madison.
Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin stayed on the East Coast for almost a week. They conducted numerous interviews, executed another warrant for Lucas’ DNA, and went to a wooded area near Lucas’ home and discovered a cave. Inside the cave, officers found an AR-15 semi-automatic assault rifle, a purported silencer, and hundreds of rounds of ammunition. In addition, they found numerous empty gun cases, a rifle tripod, tape, several large contractor sized plastic bags, and a box for a taser stun gun. The brand and model of the stun gun box matched the brand and model of the stun gun found in the trunk of Lucas’ car on August 28. Finally, near the cave officers recovered a variety of digging tools and a shallow, empty hole approximately six feet wide, 11 feet long and 18 inches deep.
The speedy and exemplary work of Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin led to a one-count indictment of Lucas for interstate transportation of firearms. Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin were not done, however. They continued to work tirelessly and obtained phone records, internet records, gun purchase records, and toll records, leading to a three-count indictment on March 10, 2010 that included attempted kidnapping and firearms charges.
U.S. Attorney Vaudreuil said, “Detective Nelson and Special Agent Baudhuin worked tirelessly, in a perfect example of the federal - state teamwork we strive to achieve. Their hard work uncovered significant evidence that had been previously overlooked.”
Lucas pleaded guilty on December 15, 2010 and was sentenced on February 23, 2011 to 17 ½ years in federal prison. The prosecution of the case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Rita M. Rumbelow.
