Coventry Police provide updates about weekend kidnapping

COVENTRY, R.I. (WLNE) — Coventry police said Steven Henning, 53, created a weekend of chaotic crime across three communities in Rhode Island, including Woonsocket, Smithfield and Coventry.

Police said this was not Henning’s first time running into trouble.

According to court records that date back to 1990, dozens of felonies across 13 different communities are shown.

“This man drove to Rhode Island to Ohio in a stolen vehicle out of Ohio,” explained Coventry police detective, Paul Pacheco.

Prosecutors said Henning had an idea to steal another car so it would not be reported as stolen.

Henning came across an 80-year-old Coventry woman in a Wendy’s parking lot, who he struck up a conversation with Saturday.

“He was able to obtain information from this woman that she was living alone currently,” said Pacheco.

Henning was then accused of following her home and waiting outside in some bushes before he entered her house, demanding jewelry, money and her car.

“Steven strangles this victim inside of her residence”, explained Pacheco. “We believe she became unconscious at one point and she drags her body out to her vehicle and puts her in the trunk of her own vehicle.”

Then Henning allegedly drove her to a wooded area in Smithfield where police said he strangled her until she became limp, leaving her in the brush, thinking she was dead.

“Sunday morning our police department received some information about an elderly woman that walked out of a wooded area and walked up to a home for some help,” said Pacheco.

Police said they eventually caught up with Henning after he tried to return to that wooded area and then led them on a high-speed chase that ended in Providence where Henning was hiding inside of the home of his girlfriend, who he met about a week before.

“This type of crime is what every community fears,” said Pacheco. “That an evil person was preying on our most vulnerable person or most vulnerable and innocent members of society.”

Henning was charged Monday with kidnapping and other charges, he is being held without bail at the ACI.

Henning will face his other charges from Woonsocket and Providence later this week.