Hunter
06/24/21
A Cedar Rapids woman went through a harrowing ordeal Wednesday morning after an incident with a man she met on Facebook.
The 41-year-old was able to contact authorities just before 7am and told them that she had met 43-year-old Christopher Bullins two to three weeks ago through Facebook. Bullins was at the woman’s house on the northwest side of the city at 2:30 am and allegedly displayed a handgun that he pointed at the woman, demanding money. The man stole several items from the victim, including her cellphone. She then told investigators that he took her to the basement of the residence, handcuffed her, and tied several items of clothing around her.
The woman was eventually able to free herself and got outside, where she received help from a neighbor. It was determined that Bullins had also stolen her vehicle, a 2018 Buick Encore. The woman was taken to UnityPoint-St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment of injuries sustained from being restrained.
A nationwide APB was put out on the vehicle, and it was located shortly after 10am on Interstate 74 just west of Galesburg. Six Illinois State Patrol troopers initiated a traffic stop and took Bullins into custody without incident. A handgun was recovered from the vehicle.
A check of his records showed Bullins had several warrants through multiple states.
The Cedar Rapids Police charged Bullins with 1st degree Robbery, 1st degree Theft, Assault While Displaying a Dangerous Weapon, False Imprisonment, and Obstruction of Emergency Communications.