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NATCHEZ — Brandon Christopher Bamburg, 37, was arraigned Thursday in Circuit Court Judge Lillian B. Sanders’ courtroom.

Bamburg of 213 Weecam St., Ferriday, La., is charged with kidnapping and attempted murder for a June 4, 2021, crime.

A woman in her mid-30s was jogging in the neighborhood near Edgewood Road and Oakland Lane when she was abducted and beaten with a pistol. However, she was able to escape her abductor, who law enforcement investigators say was Bamburg.

Bamburg is being represented by Attorney Tony Heidelberg of Natchez and pleaded not guilty on Thursday.

After accepting Bamburg’s plea, Sanders set a trial date for the May court session, but did not set a specific date for the trial.

Bamburg was arrested by Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten on Saturday, June 5, 2021, who found him sitting in his truck outside the sheriff’s office on State Street in Natchez. Bamburg has remained in Adams County Jail since that time. His bond has been set at $500,000.

Patten said Bamburg was driving a white Chevrolet 2500 truck at the time of the attack. He is alleged to have stopped his vehicle, exited it and asked the victim for directions.

“After she gave him directions, she turned to run and that was when the suspect eased up behind her and pulled a pistol on her … and told her, ‘If you run or scream, I’m going to kill you’,” Patten said at the time of the incident.

Patten said investigators believe Bamburg dragged the victim into the truck and started to hit her in the head with the pistol, causing six deep lacerations in the back of her head. He said the victim saw duct tape and zip ties in the truck and continued to fight him. She bit him several times hard enough for him to let her go. When she got away, she called 911.

Investigators searched for the vehicle and the suspect overnight and continued to search Saturday morning.

When Bamburg was arrested, investigators from the Concordia Parish Sheriff’s Office went to his home in Ferriday and seized a bloodied gun officials believe was used in the kidnapping and attempted murder.

Patten also reached out to residents in the area of the crime through social media and asked them to send camera footage that may show the incident or the truck, which helped in Bamburg’s apprehension.