Suspected kidnapper due in court
The man police say kidnapped a 14-year-old girl, then crashed his car with her in the trunk Saturday as he tried to evade capture, is scheduled to appear in court this afternoon, officials said.
Jared D. Conway, 38, was a family friend who had been living with the girl and her family for a month before the abduction, said Modesto police spokesman Sgt. Craig Gundlach. Conway is a registered sex offender.
Police say Conway used force to take the girl from her home on the 2500 block of Garvey Avenue sometime before 3 a.m. Saturday.
"As far as the details of what exactly occurred, that's still under investigation," Gundlach said. "He went into her room and he forcibly took her from the room by intimidation or by physically holding her. We also know that she was injured during the abduction. He struck her several times."
Police have not released the girl's name. Authorities say he put the teenager in his trunk, but the details of what happened next remain vague.
"It's not clear whether he sexually assaulted her," Gundlach said. "We know he took her to assault her, but we're not sure if he actually did it."
The girl's father called police at 3 a.m. to report her missing. At 6 a.m., police say, officers spotted Conway driving by the family home and chased him. He crashed nearby, injuring the girl, who was flown to the University of California at Davis Medical Center in Sacramento for injuries she sustained in the crash.
She was in stable condition Monday and being assessed for surgery, Gundlach said. Her injuries included broken bones from the car accident.
Conway is being held at Stanislaus County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, Gundlach said. His bail has been set at $1 million.
The Stanislaus County district attorney's office will decide today how to charge Conway, said Assistant District Attorney Carol Shipley. Conway will appear in Department 12 in Stanislaus County Superior Court at 1:30 p.m., she said.
Gundlach said the teenager likely would go through a special interview to find out what happened after her abduction.
"The victim is going through a very difficult time. It's difficult for her to speak about what happened," he said. "The most important thing is to take our time and get the information in the least intrusive way from the victim. There's nothing about this that we have to rush. (Conway) is in custody facing a very serious charge. He's not going anywhere. So the most important thing is helping the victim get through this ordeal."
Bee staff writer Emilie Raguso can be reached at eraguso@modbee.com or 578-2235.
This story was originally published July 8, 2008 at 4:01 AM with the headline "Suspected kidnapper due in court."