Child abduction foiled, police say

Monday, October 16, 2006
By JOSE PAUL CORONA, Columbian staff writer


An alert woman prevented a kidnapping in Vancouver on Saturday afternoon, deputies said, and helped police catch the suspected abductors.

Monica Sigman forcibly removed a 4-year-old girl from the front seat of a van after the child had been lured inside by two men, Clark County Sheriff's Sgt. Tim Bieber said Sunday.

"She stepped up, and I think she did the right thing," Bieber said. "She should be proud of herself."

The child, who has a hearing loss, was not harmed during the incident.

It doesn't appear that the men knew the girl, so all signs point to a stranger abduction, which is rare, Bieber said.

"It's not something that occurs every day," Bieber said. "That's very, very scary."

Sigman called 911 shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday and reported an attempted kidnapping, Bieber said.

According to the report, two men in a dark green Dodge Caravan drove into Callahan's Mobile Estates at 10804 Highway 99 and coaxed the girl into their van.

The men were identified as Alejandro Diaz Carrano, 44, and Angel Montenegro Carrano, 43.

Sigman and other nearby residents saw the driver open his door, and Sigman became concerned when the girl climbed in, Bieber said.

Sigman went up to the car and grabbed the child, who was sitting on the driver's lap, Bieber said.

The men tried to convince Sigman that everything was OK, but she refused to listen to them, Bieber said.

At that point, another resident engaged the men in a conversation in an attempt to keep them there, but they left, Bieber said.

Sigman then called 911 and gave the dispatcher a very good description of the van and the men, Bieber said.

Deputies spotted the van at Highway 99 and Northeast 96th Street, the statement said.

Sigman and other witnesses were then taken to the scene, where they positively identified the men, Bieber said.

They also told deputies that they'd seen the men in the trailer park the day before, the statement said.

Officers interviewed the men who spoke Spanish with the help of a telephone translator and were given conflicting stories, Bieber said.

The men were eventually arrested on suspicion of luring and second-degree kidnapping, the statement said.

The men may also be involved in another incident. Vancouver police are calling the van a vehicle of interest in their investigation of an attempted unlawful imprisonment last month.

Both men are scheduled to make their first court appearance today, Bieber said.

Sigman was not available for comment. A man who opened the door of Sigman's home said the woman was not there.

While police don't usually encourage people to get involved while a crime is taking place, Bieber said Sigman realized that the girl was in danger and might never be seen again if taken.

"I'm glad to see that people in the community are fed up with crime," he added.

http://www.columbian.com/news/localNews ... s67839.cfm