Taking people hostage used to mean something, you know? If you took a guy hostage, it was a big deal. It was a bond for life! These days, though? These days you can't trust your hostages farther than you can throw them, after you've killed them and wrapped their bodies in tarp.

But one man is standing up and seeking justice through the legal system. Jesse Dimmick of Denver (pictured) is bringing a lawsuit against Jared and Lindsay Rowley of Topeka, Ks., whom he took hostage in 2009, for breaching an oral contract. You see, when Dimmick entered the Rowleys' home, he "offered [them] an unspecified amount of money which they agreed upon" in exchange for hiding him from the police. (This is all according to Dimmick.) But the Rowleys did not hold up to their end of the bargain:

Neighbors have said that the couple fed Dimmick snacks and watched movies with him until he fell asleep and they were able to escape their home unharmed.

Dimmick was arrested (he was being sought in connection with the murder of a man in Colorado) and later convicted of kidnapping; he's also awaiting trial on the murder charge. The Rowleys' lawyer is claiming some bullshit about how the contract is invalid "because the couple agreed to let Dimmick in the home only because they knew he had a knife and suspected he might have a gun." What a world, where a guy can't even rely on his hostages.

[AP]