Encinitas CA— Two people are now in custody in connection with an attempted kidnapping in Encinitas. Christopher White, DOB 11/23/1989 and Jeremiah Owens, DOB 66/21/1989 were booked in Vista Jail. They are facing charges of kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, false imprisonment, assault with the intent to commit rape, and conspiracy.
A member of the public reported seeing a pickup truck matching the description of one seen in the area of the incident on Friday, July 28th just before 11:00 a.m. The truck was located by deputies in the 1400 block of Summit Avenue in Encinitas. Deputies responded and pulled the truck over. They detained a man fitting the description of a suspect in a sketch that was released to the public. White was later positively identified as the suspect from the sketch and was arrested.
Detectives developed further leads that led them to Owens. Owens was taken into custody, without incident, by the Regional Fugitive Task Force at his home in Escondido at about 6:40 p.m.
The incident happened on Wednesday, July 26th around 5:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of Neptune Avenue in Encinitas. A 15-year-old girl told deputies she was waxing her surfboard in her home’s driveway when a man came up from behind her and pinned her to the ground. The man tried to drag her into an older blue model pickup truck parked along Grandview Street, but she was able to fight back and run inside her home.
Sheriff Bill Gore praised the collaborative effort in the case, “The response from the North Coastal Sheriff’s Station, as well as help from the media in getting the information out and the public calling in tips, led to a quick arrest in this case.”