UPDATE: Both suspects have been arrested and charged with Kidnapping (first degree), False Imprisonment, and Conspiracy. They were booked around 5 p.m. today into the Santa Fe County Detention Center.NMSP News:
New Mexico State Police officers stationed Jan. 30 in Española received information related to a “be on the lookout” (BOLO) request from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department in Nevada for a white van with a potential kidnapped victim inside.
Around 11 p.m. Monday, NMSP officers located a white Chevrolet Uplander van traveling northbound on US Highway 84/285 near the vicinity of La Puebla and conducted a traffic stop. Officers encountered a driver, passenger and a female with visible injuries who was bound in the rear cargo area of the van. Both the driver and passenger were taken into custody. The driver was identified as Jack William Morgan, 31, of Arlington, Texas and the passenger was identified as Samuel Lee Brown, 19, of Phenix City, Ala.
Officers described the female victim as being bound with chains, which were padlocked around her body and handcuffs around her wrists. The victim was medically evaluated and released from the hospital.
The New Mexico State Police Investigations Bureau assumed the investigation into this incident. NMSP agents learned from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) that an incident had ensued around 10:30 a.m., Ja. 30, 2017, in which the female victim had been reportedly forcibly removed from her residence in Las Vegas. The LVMPD investigation into this incident led to tips the victim and suspects may be in the Española area.
After they were taken into custody, both Morgan and Brown were interviewed by NMSP agents at the New Mexico State Police office. Charges are pending for both Morgan and Brown as this incident remains under investigation. Direct all inquiries of the LVMPD investigation to that agency.
