2 jailed, car in river after ‘kidnapping’ that wasn’t
911 called in altercation over rented Charger
Two Clarkdale residents are behind bars following a car theft originally reported as a kidnapping after one suspect pushed his accomplice inside the vehicle, authorities said.
Charles Fitzpatrick, 29, and Virginia “Samantha” Reyes, 35, were arrested by Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office deputies Friday night on suspicion of numerous charges, including vehicle theft.
A Sheriff’s Office spokesman said the incident began Friday morning in a Cottonwood neighborhood when Reyes claimed a 36-year-old woman driving a 2016 Dodge Charger she rented had owed Reyes money for the car based on a prior agreement.
The situation escalated when Reyes called Fitzpatrick for help, and he arrived in a Dodge Neon at 6 a.m. with Reyes’ 14year-old son and another man, police said.
Authorities said Fitzpatrick decided to take the Charger and pushed Reyes into the vehicle, driving away despite the car renter’s attempts to intervene. The woman called 911 about the vehicle theft and the possible kidnapping of Reyes.
While escaping in the Charger, Fitzpatrick struck a man who came out from his home after hearing the commotion, the statement said. He sustained a non-life threatening injury to his leg.
Investigators were contacted by Reyes after she heard reports she’d been kidnapped despite being in her Clarkdale home with her son. She denied the kidnapping allegation but said Fitzpatrick pushed her into the Charger before fleeing the scene, authorities said.
She initially claimed to have no knowledge of the Charger’s location and Fitzpatrick told detectives he parked the car near the Tuzigoot National Monument, police said.
Sheriff’s deputies later reported they found the Charger floating in the Verde River and discovered there was a rock placed over the gas pedal in an attempt to accelerate the car into the water.
After being confronted with what was found, Fitzpatrick admitted dumping the car in the river hoping it would not be found, the Sheriff’s Office statement said.
Fitzpatrick faces additional felony charges of damage to property and endangerment, the latter in relation to the man who was struck by the car, while the Sheriff’s Office says Reyes will face a charge of hindering prosecution based on statements that initially indicated she was forced into the vehicle by Fitzpatrick.
Bond has not been set for either suspect.