SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, April 26, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Two Salt Lake County men were arrested after they allegedly kidnapped a teen at gunpoint for egging their home.
Probable cause statements from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake City said Albert Schuster, 27, and Lance Malologa Sauvao Elenio, 25, are facing charges of aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault threat with show of force, a third-degree felony.
On Tuesday, Unified Police Department responded to the area of 5100 W. Longmore Drive in Kearns where a possible kidnapping had taken place. The 14-year-old victim had been located and was home when officers arrived, the statement said.
“The victim stated he was forcefully taken from his home, and transported to the area of Vista Point Drive, and threatened with weapons,” the statement said. “The victim stated it was an adult male who contacted him after banging on his home door and he was armed with a hand gun. At some point the gun was pointed at the victim’s head and he heard the weapon being ‘racked.’ He stated the persons involved also had machetes.”
The victim was confronted about egging the home of the suspects, the statement said. He denied he had done so.
“The victim’s mother was home at the time the victim was taken,” the statement said. “She stated to officers she saw a man with a gun who was pounding on the door. Her son, the victim, was taken into a vehicle and driven away from the location. The victim’s stepfather immediately followed in search of the victim. After searching and not locating the victim, the victim appeared back home on foot. He was visibly upset and told her the same story of what happened.”
Detectives subsequently located and questioned the two suspects. Schuster told officers someone had egged their home at approximately 1 a.m. that day. Elenio then said he saw a male walking in front of their residence at approximately 2:30 a.m. and he got into his vehicle and chased after the person, who was on foot. He said he and Schuster both open carry handguns and both had them with them.
Schuster got into a second vehicle with his firearm, he told officials, and two other juvenile family members, who each had a machete knife with them. Schuster then caught up with Elenio, who had allegedly already detained the victim in his vehicle. The suspects then said the victim was taken back to his own house, where they forced him to knock on his own door to tell his parents what he did. There was no answer at the victim’s home. They told him get back into the vehicle with Elenio and they returned to the suspects’ home.
The two suspects and the two juvenile family members brandished their weapons at the victim and threatened to call the police, but did not. Elenio then “decided to release the victim, and stated he told him to ‘walk it off.'” The victim then ran home.
Elenio “stated he had his gun in his right pocket the entire time and stated it was loaded but did not have a round in the chamber,” the statement said.
Both suspects were transported to Salt Lake County Jail. Schuster is being held without bail and Elenio’s bail was set at $30,000.
