Twenty-year-old Labrosus Watkins of Huntsville is charged with kidnapping and his bond has been set at $500,000.
Sheriff Lamar Glover said the charges stem from an alleged drug deal.
A 16-year-old boy was part of a scheme to sell non-existent marijuana to Watkins and some other people.
The teen was forcibly taken to the Huntsville area. He was stripped naked and beaten with two-by-fours and an axe handle. Later, the teen was treated and released from a Decatur hospital.
Glover said another teen involved in the incident has been arrested and will be charged as an adult because a gun was used to threaten the victim.