A man suspected in a possible kidnapping in Rhode Island was apprehended as he passed through Lincoln Parish Tuesday.
Tuesday night the Rhode Island State Police contacted the Lincoln Parish Sheriff’s Office regarding a possible kidnapping. Authorities said a woman’s parents were concerned for her and believed she may have been kidnapped by her estranged husband. State Police were pinging her phone traveling on Interstate 20 in Lincoln Parish.
Given the vehicle description, deputies spotted the vehicle westbound on I-20 at the 83 mile marker. The driver, Jose David L. Morales, 23, and his alleged victim were interviewed.
Morales said he and the woman left Rhode Island to get away from her parents. He stated her parents were overbearing and it was simply a misunderstanding.
During a search of the car, clothing and luggage for Morales were found but nothing for the woman. When asked why she did not have any luggage, Morales said they had to leave in a hurry. Two small bags of marijuana were found during the search.
A records check showed no driver’s license for Morales, but a Guatemalan passport was located identifying him.
The woman told deputies she had not wanted to go with Morales at all. She stated her family is from Turkey and she had recently traveled there to get away from him. She said Morales had come to her house in Rhode Island and forced her to go with him and that he was emotionally and verbally abusive.
Morales was arrested and booked at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center for aggravated kidnapping, possession of marijuana, and no driver’s license.
Bail had not been set as of Wednesday afternoon and information on possible charges from Rhode Island was not immediately available.
This information has been provided by a law enforcement agency as public information. Persons named or shown in photographs or video as suspects in a criminal investigation, or arrested and charged with a crime, have not been convicted of any criminal offense and are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
