Man gets a ride " then kidnapped
The Aspen Times
Aspen CO, Colorado
ASPEN ” Early Saturday morning, a man between 40-50 years old was allegedly kidnapped, robbed, tied up and left in an abandoned car by another man he had met at the Club Chelsea nightclub, according to Sgt. Mike Tracey of the Aspen Police Department.
Speaking through an interpreter, the victim ” a citizen of France speaking French ” told Aspen police a man he had met at the club offered to drive him to his hotel. The man then led the French visitor to a car ” described as one that sat four people, according to the victim. Once in the car, the victim said two other men had joined them, and soon they were heading out of Aspen and traveling downvalley.
Either on the way to Carbondale or once there (the victim is not sure, Tracey said), the perpetrators proceeded to tie the victim’s arms behind him with a seat belt and relieve him of approximately $400 in cash.
The man said he believed his attackers were armed with knives, Tracey said.
The men ” described by the victim as Hispanic ” reportedly left the Frenchman tied up in a car that has been abandoned for several weeks at the end of County Road 106 near Carbondale. The victim told police he eventually escaped and ran to a nearby home to notify the authorities. A Garfield County dispatchers took the call from him at approximately 3 a.m.
According to Tracey, the department currently is investigating the case, and it has at least one piece of evidence ” the seat belt with which the victim was tied up, which he carried with him after escaping from the car.
However, the victim’s memory from the evening is “not exactly clear,” Tracey said.
“His memory is a bit spotty, even through the interpreter. Details are not prevalent,” he said. He did say, however, that the victim’s story has remained consistent through several interviews.
The victim was drinking during the evening, according to police. However, he reportedly insisted that he does not use drugs. Tracey said the victim volunteered for a drug test, but Tracey could not release the results, as they are not a matter of public record.
Police currently have no leads and no suspects in the case.
