RUTLAND, Vt. (AP) – A father and two sons are each facing life in prison if convicted of charges they kidnapped and then beat a man they accused of stealing a pound of marijuana from one of them.

Lawrence M. Laraway, 57, of Rutland, Joshua W. Laraway, 31, of Shoreham, and Lance M. Laraway, 28, of Brandon, are all being held without bail.

Court records said the alleged victim of the kidnapping and assault, Michael Patterson, 19, of Forest Dale, suffered cuts and bruises.

“We have a home invasion and the taking of an individual across county lines into Addison County for the purpose of threatening him,” Rutland State’s Attorney James Mongeon said in court Friday. “These matters involve acts of violence and drugs.”

The elder Laraway pleaded innocent to a felony kidnapping charge. The sons pleaded innocent to charges of kidnapping, burglary and assault.

Police said the younger Laraways went to Patterson’s home on Thursday night where they threatened him with knives and forced him into the back of their car, where the elder Laraway was located. Lawrence Laraway then placed Patterson in a headlock.

The four men then drove to a back road in Salisbury, police said.

“When the vehicle was stopped (Patterson) was taken out of the car and into a field and pushed against a tree,” Brandon Police Lt. Christopher Brickell said in court documents. “He was then hit in the side with what he thought was a bottle. Patterson advised he broke free and ran into the woods to get away.”

A friend of Patterson had called police after the alleged abduction.

The Laraways were stopped in Brandon at about 9:30 p.m. Thursday and they denied seeing Patterson, documents said.

Defense attorneys said police affidavits contained conflicting statements.

“The strength of the state’s case is not as good as the state may think,” said Josh Laraway’s court appointed attorney Steven Wright.

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Information from: Rutland Herald, http://www.rutlandherald.com/

AP-ES-12-03-06 1312EST