Suspect: 'Rape' Was Victim's Idea

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A man accused of kidnapping a Georgia woman and raping her in a Smoky Mountain cabin before a pizza deliveryman called 911 claims the entire episode was the woman's idea, according to a court filing Thursday.

David Jansen, 46, of Snellville, Ga., "continues to strongly assert his innocence regarding any and all charges brought or contemplated by any authorities," said his attorney Don Bosch of Knoxville.

"(I) hope that the appropriate authorities will immediately reach the same conclusion that Mr. Jansen has violated no state or federal laws and accordingly dismiss his charges as soon as possible," Bosch said.

Jansen, who is free on an $800,000 cash bond, seeks a bond reduction to $100,000, claiming the smaller amount is "clearly sufficient" to assure his appearance at an initial court hearing July 17 in Sevier County.

Jansen was arrested at a remote rental cabin near Gatlinburg on May 26 on charges of aggravated kidnapping and aggravated rape after a pizza deliveryman spotted a bound woman inside the cabin who mouthed the words, "Please call 911."

The deliveryman made the call and the alleged victim was apparently freed.

The 24-year-old woman told police she was kidnapped from her Atlanta neighborhood that morning while jogging by a man she knew from a club.

Channel 2 Action News does not identify alleged rape victims. The woman has not returned e-mails seeking comment.

Jansen's brief claims he has known the woman since 2008 through an Atlanta strip club where she worked and that she was "sexually aroused by bondage."

The "idea of taking the out-of-state trip originated" with the woman "and she instructed him on what to bring, such as rope, sex toys, massage oil and extra clothing for her," the document said.

According to Jansen, he stopped three times on the drive from Atlanta to Tennessee, twice leaving the woman unattended in the car and she never attempted to flee or call for help.

Jansen claims that surveillance video from a gas station in Sylva, N.C. shows him leaving the woman unattended in the car while he goes into the store for several minutes.

After having sex at the cabin, she told him to order the pizza, Jansen's brief said.

The brief also contains court records of the woman's convictions for lying to police in Georgia about assaults in 2005 and 2006.

"In the event these charges are not dismissed prior to a preliminary hearing, at the preliminary hearing, or when a grand jury returns an indictment, Mr. Jansen intends to demand a speedy trial at arraignment and pursue an immediate trial," the brief said.

District Attorney Jimmy Dunn said Monday he plans to meet with investigators and possibly the woman next week "to see if we have a case to proceed on."

Pizza Delivery Man Is A Hero!

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - Chris Turner normally wouldn't drive 30 miles into the remote Tennessee mountains just to deliver a pizza.

The one time he did, he came upon a scene that drained the color from his face and made him "numb from head to toe" — a woman with her hands tied, silently begging him to call 911.

It was no joke, and Turner, 32, rushed to a nearby house and made that call. Police say the woman was whisked away from the Atlanta neighborhood she was jogging in by a man who frequented her business. Authorities say he raped her and held her captive inside a cabin. The 24-year-old woman was rescued by Sevier County deputies Tuesday evening because of Turner's quick thinking.

Turner told The Associated Press on Friday that he noticed the woman pop up from a couch while her abductor signed the credit card slip.

"While I was standing in the door all you could see was the back of the couch," Turner said. "And then she popped over the back of the couch and showed me that her hands were bound. And she was just mouthing, 'Please call 911.'"

Turner at first thought it was a joke. "When I realized what was going on, I went numb from head to toe and turned pale white," he said.

Turner tried to look calm. "Have a nice day. Enjoy your food," he told the suspect. Then he rushed back to his van, where his wife was waiting behind the wheel. "Go, go, go!" he told her.

The cabin was out of cell phone range. So they drove to a nearby house and called police. They waited to make sure the suspect didn't flee. Then Turner stayed to see the man arrested and the victim taken away in an ambulance. "I wanted to make sure she was OK," he said.

The woman told authorities she was jogging near her home in Atlanta about 11:50 a.m. Tuesday when a frequent customer at a restaurant and bar owned by the woman and her husband asked her to see his new car. She got into the vehicle, which turned out to be a rental, and was immediately tied up.

She told police the suspect drove her more than 200 miles to the cabin in Tennessee and raped her. The Associated Press does not identify alleged sexual assault victims.

Police arrested David J. Jansen, 46, of Snellville, Ga., without a struggle on charges of aggravated kidnapping and rape, Sheriff Ron Seals said in a statement. He was released on $800,000 bond late Thursday. His attorney, Donald Bosch of Knoxville, had no comment Friday.

Capt. Jeff McCarter refused to discuss the case Friday. But he earlier told The Mountain Press newspaper that officials believe the woman was in imminent danger.

The victim and her husband visited Turner at Capelli's Pizza and Subs in Gatlinburg before heading home Wednesday. "She was just thanking me ... for trusting her," Turner said. "She said he was going to kill her ... after he got done with her."

Turner's boss, John Henry, said the cabin was about 30 miles from his pizza shop.

"We usually don't go out that far," he said. "But he said, 'Yeah, I will take it.' It was just luck. For her, it was."