Kidnapping Suspect Approached Several Women Before Crime, Police Say
CONIFER, Colo. (CBS4) - Investigators say they believe the suspect in a kidnapping case on Colorado's Front Range may have picked his victim after approaching several women in a parking lot outside a grocery store.
Dakota Holand, 20, is suspected of kidnapping a teenager in Conifer last week and forcing the teen to drive him to Pueblo.
The suspect was captured on surveillance video from a gas station convenience store soon after the car left from Conifer and Holand was later identified. He wasn't captured until Wednesday morning.
The surveillance video shows Holand behaving in an odd manner in the convenience store. He wasn't wearing a shirt.
"He kind of wanders around, approaches the counter, backs away from the counter and goes outside, so who knows what he was going to do," Jacki Kelley with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said.
Police say the distinct tattoo of his last name his back helped officers identify him.
Investigators say the grocery store where they say Holand kidnapped the teen from was a King Soopers in Conifer.
The victim is a 16-year-old boy. Holand is believed to have forced his way into the victim's vehicle on Aug. 20. He allegedly said he had a gun.
"That male indicated that he had a weapon and told him to shut up and drive," said Kelley.
Kelley says the suspect demanded they head south to Pueblo, and the terrified teen did what he was told.
On the way they made the stop at the gas station.
"The victim was running out of gas, so they stopped at a Shell station," Kelley said.
That's where police say the suspect briefly went into the convenience store and was captured on video.
After arriving in Pueblo the teen drove to an unknown residence and eventually he says Holand jumped out of the vehicle and ran away. The victim then called 911.
"This kid continued to be frightened and did what he had to do to keep himself safe," Kelley said.
Police say Holand was captured in Aurora after allegedly stealing a car out of Canon City. Investigators said they aren't sure how the suspect was able to travel from Pueblo to Canon City before then reaching Aurora.
Holand's sister told CBS4 her brother was left stranded in Conifer last week without a car or phone and with no way to contact family members. She says she doesn't think he meant to scare the teen.
