Posted on 07/18/2005 12:14:32 PM PDT by BurbankKarl
GLENDORA, Calif. -- A 24-year-old man was arrested for allegedly faking his own kidnapping and demanding $750 ransom from his mother.
Investigators said Shane Reynolds needed to settle a drug debt.
Reynolds allegedly telephoned his mother on her cellular phone early Saturday and told her he and his girlfriend had been kidnapped and the abductors were demanding a ransom for their release, Sgt. Jamie Caldwell said.
During a series of telephone calls, Reynolds' mother was allegedly given details of the kidnapping and asked by her son to put the $750 in an envelope and place it under a trash can in her driveway.
"He apparently told her he had been beaten up. She feared for the safety of her son and contacted law enforcement," the sergeant said.
Officers staked out the mother's home and watched as the girlfriend, Sarah Madison, 22, of Covina approached Reynolds' mother, who handed her an envelope.
"Reynolds' mother asked where her son was and Madison said, 'The kidnappers will not let Shane out,'" Caldwell said.
Madison then got back in a car and it sped away.
"Officers stopped the car and found four people inside, including (Reynolds)," Caldwell said. "After officers interviewed the suspects separately, they determined that the kidnapping was not real."
Madison and Reynolds have a history of drug use and the mother thought the $750 would be used to settle a drug debt, Sgt. Tim Staab said.
"One of my first questions to the mom was, 'Does your son use drugs or is he addicted to drugs?' Because that ($750) is an unusual amount," Staab said.
"They were desperate for the money," Staab added. "He truly owed some type of debt to someone who scared him."
Raquel Carrillo, 33, and Shirley Rosenberg, 48, both of Pomona, were booked for investigation of extortion along with Reynolds and Madison.
Hoo rights like dis?
Maybe the folks at NBC 4 took English classes with our favorite "writers" for the AP...
Oops. Double post. Note to self: keep cat AWAY from keyboard....
There is truly a scale from *spooking stick horses* (helen thomas grade) to *WHOA, it's a stick horse stampede* (this *woman*). Moderation seems a good thing when it comes to helping mother nature.
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