A Colorado man accused of kidnapping a young woman from Aurora allegedly with the intention of driving to Las Vegas to marry her was arrested in central Utah thanks to an alert gas station owner.
Micah J. Alford, 22, Denver, was arrested on I-70 near Salina Tuesday afternoon and booked into the Sevier County Jail for investigation of kidnapping. He was charged Thursday in U.S. District Court in Colorado with kidnapping.
A detention hearing was held Friday afternoon in Salt Lake City where Alford waived extradition.
Alford is accused of abducting Diana Cabriales, 20, from her Aurora, Colo., apartment and forcing her into his car while she was wearing only her nightgown.
The two had had an off-and-on relationship but had not seen each other for six months when he went to her apartment early Tuesday morning, said Sevier County Sheriff's Capt. Delbert Lloyd.
After informing Alford that she did not want to get back together with him, Cabriales attempted to call police, but Alford wrestled with her and tried to take the phone away, Lloyd said. During the ensuing struggle Cabriales hit her head twice on the floor and blacked out once, he said.
Alford then told her to walk down to his car or he would pick her up and carry her, Lloyd said. She walked to the car and the two drove away.
About 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, two people stopped for gas at Randy's Service in Emery, Utah. Owner Randy Lake said he could tell right away that something wasn't right.
"I just noticed this guy was being a little nervous about things," Lake said. "After being in business for 30 years, you get an idea when something isn't right."
Lake said the man was very evasive when he tried to strike up a conversation.
At one point, the woman in the car tried to get out to use the restroom. Lake said the man told her to get back in and then "escorted her physically back to the car." Right away, Lake said, he noticed the woman was wearing only a nightgown and no shoes.
The man got back into his car and left without receiving his change. As the car drove away, Lake said, the woman made eye contact with him through the window.
"It said, 'I need some help,' " Lake said of the look she gave. "We could tell there was something wrong. She was afraid of him, you could tell."
Lake said he was on the phone with police within 30 seconds to report the suspicious activity.
About noon, Cabriales told Alford she was sick and needed to stop, Lloyd said. While the two were stopped on the side of the road, she grabbed his cell phone and dialed 911. She told dispatchers "she was being taken against her will," according to court documents and that they has just passed Salina on I-70.
A few minutes later, Sevier County deputies and Richfield police officers spotted Alford's car and pulled it over. Alford was arrested without incident.
Even though Cabriales was able to dial 911, Lloyd said the real hero was Lake.
"Randy's tip is the one that got her stopped, period," Lloyd said.
Cabriales' family picked her up Wednesday and took her back to Colorado, according to police.
E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com