Court documents state on March 26 a man started receiving phone calls from his brother's cell phone during which an unknown man said they "had his brother" and told him "not to call the police." The victim's brother said he was told he would have to pay $50,000 for the release of his 26-year-old brother.
Two days later, investigators found the victim at a residence in northwest Harris County.
Police say the victim told them that he arrived in the parking lot of his southwest Houston apartment complex at around 11:15pm on March 26 when he was approached by two men with guns, who then forced him into a van driven by a third suspect. The victim said the suspects covered his head and bound his hands. He told police he overheard the suspects call someone, telling them they had him. He says he was transferred to another vehicle, then taken into a residence.
The victim told investigators that his clothes were removed, his hands and feet were bound and his head and eyes were wrapped using duct tape, then he was beaten and interrogated about allegedly stealing drugs and money.
Investigators say during surveillance at the residence, they observed two suspects leave in a vehicle. Police pulled them over for a traffic violation and detained them.
Back at the house, police say they saw another suspect throw the bound victim over a back fence and then the suspect jump over the fence. Police say the suspect led the victim at knifepoint away from the residence. Officers detained the third suspect. They say the victim had lacerations and bruising to his eye, back and chest.
Jose J. Jimenez, 23, Rudis Umanzor, 21, Fernando Carreno, 21, and John Cortez, 26, are all charged with aggravated kidnapping.
Court documents state Jimenez admitted to police that he was the driver of the van. According to investigators, Umanzor allowed use of his residence to hold the victim.
Umanzor and Carreno are out on $30,000 bond. Cortez is in custody on no bond. Court records show Cortez was out on bond for assault on a public servant, burglary and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon when the alleged incident occurred.
