LAPLACE — A woman fled to safety without her clothes in the dead of night to avoid a potential sexual assault in LaPlace, authorities said.

Richard Hamilton III, 50, posted a $35,400 bond Thursday, a day after St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies arrested him, accusing the LaPlace man of a violent knife-point kidnapping.

The case began when deputies responded to a disturbance at Faze II Barber Shop on Carrollwood Drive in LaPlace at 10:02 p.m. Sept. 1.

A 34-year-old female at the scene told deputies she was at a West Airline Highway daiquiris shop when, according to a release from the Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton approached and accused her of taking his money.

“He yelled at her, forced her in his truck and drove to the barbershop, where they both worked,” authorities said, before clarifying the victim is a former employee of the barbershop. “They both went in the barbershop, and Hamilton locked the door. He punched the victim in the face and told her to strip.”

Fearing the possibility of further injury, authorities said the victim complied with the demand, taking off all her clothes so the assailant could see she did not have his money.

Sheriff Mike Tregre said the assailant removed a knife from the victim’s purse and smiled as he looked out the window.

“Fearing that Hamilton was either going to cut her with the knife or rape her, she ran out the back door of the barbershop and called the Sheriff’s Office for help,” Tregre said in a release. “Hamilton fled the scene with the victim’s purse.”

Detectives arrested Hamilton at the barbershop without incident Sept. 7, charging him with simple kidnapping, false imprisonment – offender armed with a dangerous weapon, simple battery, sexual battery and theft. He posted bond the next day.