Big Island kidnapper told victims ''he would return'' for them

Police say the Woodhull, Illinois man accused of kidnapping and raping two women at gunpoint lured them into his car with the offer of a ride at a bus stop on the Rock Island-Milan border.

Instead, investigators say Jason Kugler victimized them in a day of terror on Big Island.

''It was essentially a ruse, and once he got them into the van, he asked for one of the victim's cell phones, and once he received the cell phone, he pulled a gun on them'', said Sgt. Steve Ven Huizen, the lead investigator for the Rock Island County Sheriffs Department, who said the women didn't know Kugler.

The victims, both in their 20's were then driven the short distance to a remote section of Big Island.

''He ordered them out of the vehicle, and marched them to an abandoned building'', said Rock Island County lead investigator Sgt. Steve Ven Huizen.

The empty, garbage filled yellow cabin sits on the river, inside, a bunk bed, with a desk, which police believe the women were tied to and assaulted.

''They were sexually assaulted, they were bound inside the building, he was telling the victims he was going to return later on'', said the detective.

But once he left, they managed to un-tie themselves and escape, running through the woods, about a mile towards an embankment that lead to Route 92, where they flagged down a passerby for help.

The case came together quickly.

The brave women were able to give police a good description of a suspect and his van. Investigators were able to retrieve a fingerprint and DNA evidence from the cabin. The back-logged state crime lab in Morton came through for detectives, processing the evidence in near-record time, in just three to four hours.

''Really before our Lieutenant who is in charge of evidence made it back from Peoria, Morton was calling us with evidence that lead us to the suspect'', Ven Huizen said. ''We know we were dealing with a potentially very dangerous man, in our eyes, this was a very high priority.''

Kugler made a very brief court appearance Wednesday because his wife filed for divorce and an order of protection. She declined comment. When told about the order of protection by Judge Mike Meersman, Kugler swore ''What the f---, I'm in custody!.''

Kugler was living with his parents in Woodhull at the time of his arrest. He's being held on 750 thousand dollars bond, charged with two counts each of aggravated kidnapping, armed robbery, and aggravated criminal sexual assault.