A suspect in a kidnapping and subsequent standoff earlier this year in The Villages will not be released from jail prior to a trial.
This past week in Marion County Court, Judge Lisa Herndon ruled in favor of a motion from the prosecutor’s office requesting that 55-year-old James Savage remain behind bars until a trial takes place in his case. The prosecutor’s office pointed to Savage’s previous criminal history and his pattern of behavior, as reasons to keep him locked up.
Savage was arrested March 16 at the conclusion of a 24-hour standoff at 7970 SE 174th Belhaven Loop in the Village of Chatham, which is in Marion County. He fled there after allegedly kidnapping a woman from a home in the Village of Monarch Grove, which is in Sumter County. He reportedly shoved the woman into a Mercedes, setting in motion a manhunt that ended with the standoff that trashed the home of Lorraine Heroux, a widow who had befriended Savage. He has a long criminal history, including a 2020 conviction for exploitation of the elderly, involving a woman with dementia.
Savage continues to be held at the Marion County Jail. He also faces charges in Sumter County.
