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Posts tagged "kidnapping"

CA Dept. of Justice Says it Failed in Monitoring Paroled Sex Offender

State lawmakers early this monthy voted to pay Jaycee Lee Dugard and her family a $20-million settlement for the state's failure to rescue Dugard earlier than the 18 years she was held captive by a paroled sex offender. California's Department of Justice prepared a report for lawmakers with legal analysis of the case prior to the vote. The report concluded that the California Department of Corrections and Rebabilitation and parole agents did meet Dugard on a supervised visit with her captor and could have rescued her, but failed to identify her.

Dugard was kidnapped by Phillip Garrido in 1991 while she walked to school. Garrido kept her for 18 years in a shack in the back of his ramshackle compound outside of Oakland. Dugard was raped repeatedly and gave birth to two daughters, now 12 and 15. Dugard, now 30, and her daughters were all denied access to school and medical services. Garrido was eventually arrested after a UC Berkeley police officer became suspicious when he saw Garrido with the two young girls passing out religious fliers on campus and called police.

Fake Marshal Tricks San Diego Airport Security

In what would seem to be a scene out of ABC's LOST, a U.S. Marshal escorted a handcuffed woman through a Southern California airport. 

Only, it wasn't a scene from LOST.  In fact, the only thing that both scenes would have in common is that they were both, for all intents and purposes, staged scenes. 

Of course, the LOST scene was for the making of a television series. The scene that unfolded at San Diego International Airport was not for show.  It was a criminal act. 

The man who hustled a woman through a San Diego area airport earlier this month was not a U.S. Marshall.  He was merely posing as a U.S. Marshal.  Here's the scary part-  in his U.S. Marshal guise, the man was actually able to trick the Transportation Security Administration and he was able to get past airport security.

Sweet Grandma Gets Her Say in Court; Confronts Kidnappers

Nathalie Herbst-Vinge got her day in court to confront her attackers.  The sweet old lady took the stand and asked her attacker one question:

"I don't know why you did this to me, Jeff. I was very nice to you."

Jeffrey Nelson, 20, was sentenced on Monday  to two consecutive life terms plus nine years in prison for the kidnap and torture of the elderly Herbst-Vinge.  At the time of the crime, he was 19 years old.  Nelson  had allegedly gone to Herbst-Vinge's home, in an unincorporated part of La Mesa, to do a vaccum cleaner demonstration.  He sold the victim a $2,300 vaccum cleaner and came back several days later to thank her for the purchase.  He returned that night asking to use her phone.  At that point, he grabbed her from behind  and choked her until she was unconscious, binding the victim with duct tape and throwing her in the back of her Dodge wagon. 

Location

Law Offices of Bill O'Connell
110 West C Street, Suite 1300
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619.677.1429
Toll Free: 866.936.4689
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