Police Arrest Suspect in Alleged Kidnapping of Woman in Petaluma
PETALUMA (CBS/AP/BCN) -- Police say a man has been arrested and is suspected of kidnapping a woman from a North Bay shopping center.
Authorities say Benjamin Sher, 28, of San Diego, confronted the woman in the parking lot of a shopping center on North McDowell Boulevard in Petaluma shortly before 3 a.m. Friday and kidnapped her.
Officers went to the parking lot but couldn't find the woman. Moments later, the victim called 911 from a home about five miles away on Western Avenue and said she had been able to escape after Sher crashed a car into a tree and then fled into open space near Helen Putnam Park.
Officers from the Petaluma Police Department and Sonoma County sheriff's deputies found Sher around 3:43 a.m. and he was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, assault and drunk driving with bail set at $100,000.
It wasn't immediately clear if Sher knew the victim.
TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press and Bay City News Service contributed to this report