Salisbury man convicted of kidnapping and assault

SALISBURY, Md. – A Salisbury man has been convicted of kidnapping and other related charges.

30-year-old Tyler Gaskins was convicted on Monday of kidnapping, first degree assault, three counts of second degree assault, violation of a protective order, witness tampering, and perjury.

The charges stem from an incident on May 2, 2023. Gaskins, who was under the impression that his girlfriend was cheating on him, allegedly assaulted her in her home. The following day, the assault continued with Gaskins strangling the victim and punching her with such force in her chest that he broke her sternum. He also reportedly threatened to kill the victim if she didn’t get in his car. The victim gave in, and Gaskins drove her to her ex-boyfriend’s home and assaulted him with a knife before fleeing.

After the assaults, the victim obtained a protective order against Gaskins, however, while he was pending trial, Gaskins contacted the victim numerous times, telling her to take out false charges against her ex-boyfriend to help Gaskins get out of jail. Gaskins then falsified his own criminal charges against the ex-boyfriend.

Sentencing was postponed for a pre-sentence investigation to be completed, and Gaskins will remain in custody pending sentencing.