Alleged Spa kidnapper pleads not guilty
Man accused in July incident is arraigned, sent back to county jail

By LEIGH HORNBECK, Staff writer
Wednesday, August 19, 2009

BALLSTON SPA -- Victor V. Hernandez Perez, 23, who was charged with 15 crimes after he allegedly kidnapped a woman on Walnut Street in Saratoga Springs last month, pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the entire indictment.

The top count of the indictment handed up by a Saratoga County grand jury charges Perez with kidnapping, followed by sexually motivated kidnapping and a series of robbery and assault charges. He appeared in front of Judge Jerry Scarano with his lawyer, public defender Andrew Blumenberg.

After the arraignment, Perez was sent back to jail without bail.

He allegedly drove up behind a 24-year-old woman, hit her in the head with a gun and then dragged her into his van where he allegedly forced her to undress at gunpoint while he drove toward Corinth on Route 9N.

As the van approached the town line, the woman jumped from the vehicle and ran for help.

Perez, a Salvadoran national, also has been charged with having forged immigration documents. Prosecutors believe he is in the U.S. illegally.

District Attorney James Murphy said after Perez's arraignment Tuesday that he is not even certain the suspect is who he says he is.

"He has given us a name, but until his prints are compared to those in the database, we can't be sure," Murphy said in a statement, referring to a database maintained by the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.

"We know he is in the country illegally and (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) is working hand in hand with us," Murphy said. "Knowing who this man is, his background, history and prior contact with the criminal justice system is important."

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