Newman man held in kidnapping of ex-girlfriend

NEWMAN -- A man broke into his ex-girlfriend's home and held her against her will for nearly an hour Tuesday, authorities said.

The victim had been concerned about text messages she'd received from her former boyfriend, against whom she had an emergency protective order for domestic violence, said police Cpl. Chad Earle. She had left her house Tuesday morning and before returning about 12:45 p.m. had told a relative about the messages and instructed him to check on her if he hadn't heard from her in 15 minutes.

Her fears were realized when she entered her home near Kern and Q streets and found her ex-boyfriend, 24-year-old Edgar Aguilar of Newman, had broken in, Earle said.

The woman ran and managed to get through her yard and into an alley before Aguilar grabbed her and dragged her back into the house, authorities said.

For 45 minutes, he kept her in the house, pleading with her to reconcile, until the woman's relative showed up, Earle said.

The man ran from the home, and the relative chased him in a car while on the phone with dispatchers.

Officers met the relative in the 1200 block of S Street, and a police dog tracked Aguilar to the back of an abandoned home. He was found hiding in a boat, Earle said.

Aguilar was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, false imprisonment, violating an emergency protective order and burglary.