Web posted
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Two men charged in kidnapping
Suspects waited in car at Wal-Mart parking lot; claim it was a joke among friends.
By DAVID A. SEATON
Traveler Staff Writer
daseaton@arkcity.net
Two Ark City men were arrested Tuesday on aggravated kidnapping charges after they hid inside a parked car and waited for their victims to come out of Wal-Mart, according to police.
The men, Juan Carreto, 30, and Amarildo Estrada, 19, allegedly held a man and a woman at knifepoint and ordered them to drive to Riverside Cemetery, at 15th and Ash.
The male victim struggled to escape and fled on foot, receiving a knife wound to the hand. The suspects then crashed the car into the cemetery's stone wall and fled.
Police tracked at least one of the men to Meadowwalk apartments. Both confessed but told police that it was all a joke. The victims and the suspects appear to know each other quite well, Police Chief Sean Wallace said. All are from Guatemala.
"They claim it was a joke," Wallace said.
But the victims said they were never told it was a joke and one of them suffered a knife wound. Wallace said it's possible the men meant it as a joke but under state law, if the victims have reason to believe they are in danger, a crime has occurred.
The men were both charged with aggravated battery, aggravated burglary and aggravated kidnapping. Carreto was also charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident and unlawful use of an identification card. Estrada also was charged with unlawful use of an identification card, according to reports.
Each are being held on a $22,000 bond.
Investigators worked the case from 8:30 p.m. to 4 a.m. this morning, Wallace said. The victims suspected their neighbors were involved and took police to Meadowwalk apartments.
Police saw a bicycle with similar tire treads to the one at Wal-Mart. They also matched a shoe found at the suspect's to shoe tracks found in the snow at the crash site.
Nothing was stolen and the victims were not sure why the kidnapping occurred, Wallace said.
"It could be that the way it ended, (the suspects) never had a chance to ask for anything," Wallace said.
He warned residents to be careful returning to their cars. Always check inside, he said, using a flashlight if necessary.
"It's a rare occurrence in Ark City," Wallace said. "But I tell my wife and my kids, 'look in your car,' and I do it."
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