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NOT THE ENDING HOPED FOR: Escort meetup turns into Port Charlotte home invasion

An escort service meetup turned into a home invasion - ultimately landing three people in jail, and a victim tied up in their own home.
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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla — An escort service meet up turned into a home invasion - ultimately landing three people in jail, and a victim tied up in their own home.

The Charlotte County Sheriff's Office says a man made contact with a woman online.

That woman, deputies say, is 27-year-old Amber Nicole Brown.

Investigators say the victim arranged for Brown to meet him at his home, promising her money.

After she arrived, deputies say two men knocked on the suspect's front door, claiming to have lost their dog.

According to the sheriff's office, the men then forced their way into the house with a hammer and a crowbar.

The homeowner was then pushed to the ground, deputies say.

The two men have been identified as 31-year-old Christopher Clark and 30-year-old Pete Bertolotti.

Investigators says the suspects wrapped the suspect's hands and feet with duct tape and demanded he tell them where the money promised to Brown was located.

The victim was forced to unlock his phone and transfer the money to Brown, deputies say.

Before leaving, the sheriff's office says the suspects tied up the victim, left him in his bedroom and rummaged through his home before leaving.

Deputies say the man chewed his way through duct tape, hopped to the kitchen and cut himself free.

Noticing keys, a phone and a car missing, the victim called 911 from a neighbor's phone.

But, this story doesn't end there.

In Lee County, a deputy saw a speeding car on McGregor Boulevard.

Turns out, this was the car of the home invasion victim.

The driver did not pull over, drove through various parking lots and eventually hit a curb that would lead to a flat tire, deputies say.

The suspects, according to investigators, ran off.

The K9 deputy and his K9 partner found them at an apartment complex where they were then arrested.

Brown is facing charges of home invasion robbery with a weapon, battery on a person 65 or older and false imprisonment. Her bond is $100,000.

The men are in the Lee County Jail on unrelated charges, but CCSO says they will also face charges for the Port Charlotte incident.