LOS ANGELES (AP) – Law enforcement officials in California are searching for a man who they say kidnapped his former girlfriend and has been holding her against her will for several days.
The Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department says Monday that 52-year-old Joseph Hetzel kidnapped his ex-girlfriend on Friday.
Sheriff’s officials say 55-year-old Virginia Paris had a restraining order against Hetzel. They believe he kidnapped her in Solvang and then drove to Arizona.
Investigators say Paris had begged a customer for help at a coffee shop in Goodyear, Arizona on Sunday, but Hetzel pulled her away and shoved her into a car.
Authorities say the two were seen Monday checking out of a hotel in Valle, Arizona and may be headed to Las Vegas.
An FBI spokeswoman says the agency is assisting in the probe.
