Woman accused of kidnapping, robbing man she met on Facebook during date, CA cops say
UPDATE: In an Oct. 21 email to McClatchy News, San Mateo County District Attorney Stephen Wagstaffe said prosecutors will not file charges against the woman because “ ... there is insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”
The original story is below.
A California woman was arrested after police say she kidnapped and robbed a man she met online during an in-person date.
After the pair spoke over Facebook for a couple of days, they arranged to meet in San Mateo the evening of Thursday, Oct. 17, the San Mateo Police Department said in an Oct. 20 news release.
Facebook did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Oct. 21.
While the two talked inside the man’s car, the woman threatened the man, according to police.
Believing the woman made a “threat on his life,” the man followed her demands and drove to a San Carlos gas station, police said.
There, the woman told him to “withdraw money from an ATM machine,” police said.
The woman then instructed the man to drive to a San Carlos motel, where they stopped briefly, police said.
Once the pair returned to San Mateo, the woman eventually left the car, according to police.
The man called 911 shortly before 8 p.m. and told officers he had been “kidnapped and robbed by a (woman) he met on Facebook,” police said.
He gave officers the woman’s photo from Facebook, police said.
With the photo and “a records search,” police said they were able to identify the 31-year-old woman.
Officers arrested the woman the next day when she left her apartment shortly before 8 p.m., according to police.
After interviewing the woman, officers booked her into jail on counts of kidnapping and robbery, police said.
McClatchy News is not naming the woman as she has not been formally charged.
The woman is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, Oct. 21, online jail records show.
San Mateo is about a 20-mile drive south from San Francisco.
This story was originally published October 21, 2024 at 11:52 AM with the headline "Woman accused of kidnapping, robbing man she met on Facebook during date, CA cops say."
