S.F. man charged in alleged kidnapping, assault

29-year-old still at large after authorities say he took pregnant wife against her will, attacked her and left her stranded on a sidewalk

A Santa Fe man was charged with several felonies following an incident Sunday in which he was accused of holding his pregnant wife in a vehicle against her will and driving recklessly while battering her and threatening to crash.

He left the woman stranded on a sidewalk in Santa Fe and then returned to seize her cellphone, an affidavit alleges.

Mario Corado, 29, faces counts of kidnapping, robbery, aggravated assault against a household member, battery and interference with communications, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court.

An arrest warrant was issued for Corado, but Santa Fe County jail logs indicate he had not yet been arrested.

Corado’s wife dialed 911 on Sunday, according to an arrest warrant affidavit. A dispatcher told officers they heard arguing and what sounded like a struggle before the line disconnected.

Officers found the woman on the city’s south side. She had escaped the vehicle when her husband came to a stop, she said, and “expressed fear that Mr. Mario Corado would crash the vehicle in an attempt to kill them,” an officer wrote.

The woman alleged Corado had been headed to a casino in her vehicle when he began to drive recklessly, accelerating to about 60 mph on residential streets; steering toward streetlight poles; and saying, “I’m going to kill the both of us,” according to the affidavit.

She pleaded with him to drive slower and tried to get out of the vehicle, she told police, but Corado pulled her hair to keep her inside, the affidavit states.

When Corado stopped, she got out, ran away and dialed 911, she told police. Corado came back while she was talking to a dispatcher, she said, adding he pushed her in the chest before taking her phone and driving away.

Corado has a history of violent charges and convictions dating back to 2016. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, child abuse, criminal damage to property and resisting a police officer, according to a plea deal. He was sentenced to about four years of probation.

He faced misdemeanor domestic violence counts in three cases in 2023.

Two of the cases were dismissed by prosecutors due to lack of cooperation from the accuser, according to dismissal notices. The third case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning it could be refiled by prosecutors.