Police: Suspect Used Alligator To Threaten Kidnapped Man
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — Connecticut police say a man who placed a 3-foot alligator on top of a man in an extortion attempt was arrested.
The Connecticut Post reports that 30-year-old Isaias Garcia, of Garland was held on $250,000 bail after pleading not guilty Tuesday to charges including kidnapping and threatening.
Authorities say a 21-year-old man called his aunt April 6 to say he had been kidnapped and his abductor was demanding $800.
The aunt contacted police who told her to demand proof her nephew was OK. Police say she received a photograph of her nephew face down in a bathtub, the open-mouthed alligator on top of him.
"Titi, I was wondering if you were gonna send that money, 'cause I really want to go home,"the young man pleaded with his aunt in a later call, according to The Connecticut Post. "Titi, man, they got this alligator on me and they saying that if no money is given, they are gonna have him chewing on me," the victim said in a follow-up phone call, police said.
Police traced the suspect's phone to a Shelton hotel where he was arrested. Online judicial court records did not list an attorney for Garcia.
"It is an outrageous case, but it is clear from the evidence that this young man's life was in danger," Bridgeport Police Lt. Christopher LaMaine told The Connecticut Post. "This was no joke."
