2 men charged in kidnapping of 10-year-old CA girl
LOS ANGELES A convicted felon planned to burglarize a San Fernando Valley home but ended up kidnapping a 10-year-old girl at knifepoint and sexually assaulting her after his partner in crime fled, authorities revealed Wednesday.
The details were included in charges that were brought against Tobias Summers, a 30-year-old transient who remains a fugitive, and his 29-year-old accomplice, Daniel Martinez.
According to police, Summers broke into the house in the middle of the night March 27 while Martinez waited in a getaway car. Summers emerged from the home with the girl and they both got in the car.
- L.A. police ID suspect in girl's abduction case
- Daniel Martinez arrested in connection with kidnapping of 10-year-old girl, report says
Martinez drove a short distance and then abandoned the vehicle and disappeared. Summers took the girl to a vacant home nearby where he held her captive, police said.
At some point, according to a criminal complaint, Summers sexually assaulted her and forced her to pose for nude photos. The girl turned up about 12 hours later after the harrowing ordeal, disoriented and disheveled.
Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith said it was unclear why Summers abducted the girl but investigators don't believe he had targeted her when he initially went to the home.
Summers was charged with kidnapping burglary and nearly three dozen counts of sexual assault. If convicted, he faces multiple life terms in prison.
Martinez was charged with one count each of kidnapping and burglary. He faces a maximum 12-year prison term if found guilty. A phone message left for deputy public defender Robert Kayne was not immediately returned.
The girl was snatched from her bedroom and was found wandering near a Starbucks about six miles away. She was barefoot, had bruises and scratches, and wasn't wearing the same clothes she had on when she vanished.
Both men have had problems with law enforcement in the past. Summers has a criminal record dating back to 2002 that includes arrests for robbery, battery and grand theft auto. Court records show Martinez has been convicted of burglary and grand theft.
Police have received more than 130 tips in recent days regarding Summers, who they believe may have fled to San Diego or Mexico and changed his appearance by shaving his head.