‘Toxic situation’ leaves teen boy with kidnapping charges, girl with black eye, police say

A relationship between a Columbus teenager and his girlfriend turned violent and resulted in her kidnapping, Columbus police said Thursday morning during a Recorder’s Court hearing.

Markel Ervin, 17, held his former girlfriend against her will for almost 48 hours last month after he allegedly struck her in the face, Detective Joseph Jackson, told the court. Judge Julius Hunter ordered Ervin, who has been in jail for more than a week, held on $50,000 bond for the kidnapping and false imprisonment charges. The judge sent the case to Muscogee County Superior Court.

The girl, a 17-year-old high school senior at the time, went to a downtown restaurant with Ervin on April 25 and was told to be home by 9:30 p.m., the girl’s mother testified.

When the girl did not return home, her mother tried to call on her cell phone, but got no answer. About 5 a.m., the next morning, the mother reported her daughter to police as missing. Later that day, police detectives joined the search for the girl.

On April 27, police were able to track the girl’s cell phone to a tower near Shirley Winston Park. The girl and Ervin were discovered at the home of Ervin’s aunt, police said. The girl was in a hall and Ervin was hiding under the bed.

In an interview with police, the girl said she was held against her will and shuttled from place to place by Ervin, Jackson testified.

The girl had suffered a black eye and scratches her face, police said. The girl had previously run away from home and lived in the home with Ervin and his mother, according to court testimony. The two had a rocky relationship and the mother told the court she had warned her daughter about Ervin.

“This is not the first time he has hit my child,” the girl’s mother told the court. “... You held her against her will and beat up on her.”

Ervin is represented by Columbus defense attorney Stacey Jackson. Ervin’s mother and aunt both testified that Ervin is not the one who hit the girl.

“She told me, ‘My mama hit me in my face,’” the aunt told the court.

The victim still less than 5 feet from Ervin’s aunt during the testimony, stood and stared at the aunt.

The girl’s mother told the court she did not strike her daughter, and said she understood that Ervin’s family members would say what they had to say to get him out of jail.

“This is a toxic situation,” the girl’s mother told the court.

Ervin is also facing unrelated firearms charges.

This story was originally published May 24, 2018 at 1:57 PM with the headline "‘Toxic situation’ leaves teen boy with kidnapping charges, girl with black eye, police say."