Mo. contractor charged with concealing involvement in bungled kidnapping of NJ man

Mo. contractor charged in bungled NJ kidnapping

NEVADA, Mo. — Court documents allege kidnappers abducted a New Jersey resident thinking he was another man with the same name in a bungled effort to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars on behalf of a Missouri contractor.

Documents filed in Vernon County Circuit Court Thursday say 55-year-old Roy A. Slates, who allegedly sought assistance in retrieving $400,000 he lost in a Utah construction project, has been charged with concealing a felony and hindering prosecution.

Three other men are charged with kidnapping Jeffrey Muller. The documents state Slates lost the money in a deal with a different man named Jeffrey Muller.

Slates was released Thursday after posting $5,000 bond.

Online court records do not name an attorney for Slates, and his number is not listed.

Information from: The Joplin Globe, www.joplinglobe.com