Police - Omaha man holds wife captive for two years

OMAHA, Neb. -- A man was arrested Friday for allegedly locking his wife inside their house for two years and threatening to kill her if she stepped outside.

David E. Mitchell Sr., 35, was charged Friday with false imprisonment and making threats.

Police rescued the 28-year-old woman and her four children -- ages 2, 3, 7 and 8 -- on June 2 by pulling them out the house through a partially opened window, said Sgt. Cathy Cook, a police spokeswoman.

Police received a tip from someone who had heard about the wife's situation -- most likely through the woman's mother, Cook said.

Mitchell apparently kept his wife inside the house by using locks on the doors that were accessible only from the outside, and by nailing boards across the basement door.

The house did not have a phone.

"She was too afraid to leave because the husband had threatened her," Cook said.

It did not appear the children were under the same restrictions since the older children went to school, Cook said.

Police said the woman and her children are in protective custody.