Thread: FL:Suspect arrested in kidnapping of 13-year-old boy

Suspect arrested in kidnapping of 13-year-old Florida boy
POSTED: 1:12 p.m. EST, March 7, 2007
Story Highlights
• Police say Vicente Beltran-Moreno is in custody; details promised at 2 p.m. ET
• Beltran-Moreno wanted in February 23 kidnapping of Clay Moore, 13
• Boy was abducted from school bus stop in Florida
• Clay used safety pin to free himself; gave police info that led to Beltran-Moreno
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BRADENTON, Florida (CNN) -- The man wanted by authorities in connection with the abduction of a 13-year-old boy was taken into custody Wednesday, the Manatee County Sheriff's Department announced.

Dave Bristow, a spokesman for the sheriff's department, did not give details about the arrest of Vicente Ignacio Beltran-Moreno but said there would be a news conference at 2 p.m. ET to release more information.

Authorities say Beltran-Moreno abducted 13-year-old Clay Moore at gunpoint February 23 from a school bus stop in Parrish, about 30 miles southeast of St. Petersburg.

Clay was driven to a rural area and tied to a tree, Manatee County Sheriff Charlie Wells said.

The boy used a safety pin he had hidden in his mouth to cut through duct tape and other bonds that were holding him, authorities and his parents said. (Full story)

He walked until he came upon some farm workers and was able to borrow a cell phone to call his parents.

Information that Clay gave authorities led them to issue an arrest warrant for Beltran-Moreno, 22, on charges of armed kidnapping and aggravated assault.

"He was right on the money with the information that he gave us," Wells told reporters.

Police recovered the red pickup truck allegedly used in the kidnapping at the suspect's home in Bradenton.

During their investigation, police recovered a handwritten ransom note less than a page long, possibly intended for Clay's parents, that contained unspecified threats, Wells said.

"It was his intention, the suspect's intention, to leave Clay Moore tied in the woods until he got his money," Wells said.

Beltran-Moreno worked in Manatee County as an aluminum contractor building screen enclosures and once worked as a "contract picker" on a farm near the wooded area where Moore was bound to the tree for several hours before his escape, Wells said.

Citing the teen's ability to recall details about the suspect and where he was taken, Wells said, "the bottom line is that the man kidnapped the wrong kid."



http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/07/florid ... index.html

The text of the story doesn't mention it, but the perp was indeed back in Mexico (there's a live press conference with FBI/ICE people speaking on the details of is apprehension - and they gave the details about his location, etc). He basically gave himself up voluntarily.

Wonderful news, and how sad for all the kidnappings for ransom in Mexico (hundreds DAILY) that for which no one is ever punished. There is a historical reason why such crimes are so rare here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidnapping

Quote: "Kidnapping for ransom is almost nonexistent in the United States of America today, due in great part to the Federal Bureau of Investigation's aggressive stance toward kidnapping. The Bureau made kidnap for ransom a special priority, and continues to do so today. It pursues kidnap cases ferociously, as FBI agents who have rescued kidnap victims have been known to describe the rescue as a personal high point of a career.

There are several deterrents to kidnapping in the United States of America.

The extreme logistical challenges involved in exchanging the money for the victim,
Harsh punishment. Convicted kidnappers can expect to face life imprisonment or death penalty if convicted. In many states kidnapping is the only capital crime other than murder.
The harsh sentences imposed, and the much worse risk to benefit ratio compared to other crimes, has caused kidnap for profit to virtually die out in the United States. "

another mexican tradition which bush wants americans to adopt.

Well where does Bush think this "hardworking immigrant" learned this from? Oh, that's right, it is a "cultural" misunderstanding.

We're so stupid, what the kidnapper meant to convey by kidnapping this boy was thet he really thought he was a great kid and admired him, we really need to work on our cultural understanding in this country!!

I think they should have saved the taxpayers money and paid to have Mexico keep this guy in prison there for life, I hear their prisons can do it cheaper!

Illegal Immigrant Arrested in Florida Kidnapping
Thanks to Quick Thinking and a Safety Pin, 13-Year-Old Clay Moore Is Safe Today
March 8, 2007 — - A 22-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico has been arrested in connection with last month's bus stop abduction of a Florida boy who later staged his own dramatic escape.

Vicente Beltran-Moreno turned himself in at the Mexican border Wednesday after being tracked down by the FBI and Florida law enforcement.

"We pretty much told him that we're not going to give up. This isn't something that you can run away from," said Maj. Connie Shingledecker of the Manatee Sheriff's Department.

Authorities said the kidnapping victim, 13-year-old Clay Moore, was alive today because of quick thinking and a safety pin. Moore was abducted two weeks ago while waiting for the school bus.

"Some guy just pulls up in a red truck and tells the kid to get in the truck or he's going to shoot, pulls out a gun and the kid gets in the truck and they take off," said an eyewitness.

Moore said he was dragged deep into the woods, where a sock was put in his mouth, his hands and feet were bound with duct tape, and his abductor tied him to a tree. Remarkably, Moore managed to escape by using a safety pin that he'd hidden in his mouth.

"He had ripped a hole in his jacket, and instead of buying him a new one we told him basically, 'Pin it up,' because it's kind of his fault," said Steve Kelle, Moore's stepfather.

Moore used the pin to cut through the tape, freeing himself. He then ran to a farm where he called his parents.

"I am so proud of him. He was very smart, kept his head on him. He's a good kid," said his mother, Traci Kelle.

Police say that Beltran planned to hold Moore for ransom and that he surrendered because he didn't want to be housed in a Mexican jail. He will be charged with kidnapping.

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