Police use undercover Walmart operation to arrest kidnapping suspect

A 53-year-old California man was arrested Saturday in Klamath County after allegedly kidnapping a woman in an area outside of Eugene over a month ago.

According to the Klamath Falls Police Department, 911 dispatch received a call Saturday afternoon from a woman reporting she was hiding behind a Walmart location after fleeing from a man who she claimed kidnapped her outside Eugene.

Klamath Falls police and deputies with the Klamath Falls Sheriff's Office responded to the scene and located the woman, who described her kidnapper as a man, possibly armed with a 12-gauge shotgun, who said he would shoot it out with law enforcement.

After receiving a physical description of the subject, two sheriff's deputies dressed down to enter the Walmart and locate the suspect without alarming him and creating unnecessary panic inside the store.

"Walmart management was contacted by the on-duty KFPD patrol supervisor to discreetly have patrons evacuate the building, while patrol officers stayed outside the building as a rescue team in case the situation escalated," said Cpt. Rob Reynolds, spokesperson for KFPD

A short time later, the suspect, identified as a 53-year-old man from Macdoel, California, was taken into custody.

According to a probable cause statement, the man allegedly transported the victim from the Eugene area to California where they stayed for approximately 30 days. He reportedly menaced the victim with a shotgun when she wanted to leave, causing her to fear for her life.

Court documents reveal the man then transported the victim to Klamath Falls for reasons unknown at this time. When she had the chance, the victim took the man’s phone and fled the scene on foot where she later contacted 911.

During an investigation, KFPD detectives discovered the suspect allegedly committed additional crimes in Siskiyou County in Northern California. Detectives with Siskiyou County responded to the Klamath Falls incident to assist with any crimes that occurred in their jurisdiction.

The suspect appeared Monday at a Klamath County Circuit Court and is charged with one count of kidnapping in the second degree for "unlawfully and knowingly, without consent or legal authority, take (victim) from one place to another, with the intent to interfere substantially with the said (victim's) personal liberty," according to court documents.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com .

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Police use undercover Walmart operation to arrest kidnapping suspect