Police investigate Newport Beach kidnapping
Two adults were kidnapped in Newport Beach earlier this month and later discovered bound and beaten in Kern County, according to court documents reviewed by the Daily Pilot and follow-up interviews with police.
Newport Beach Police arrested Kyle Shirakawa Handley Oct. 6 in connection with the crime, Lt. Jon Lewis confirmed Friday, but two other suspects remain at large.
Handley, 33, of Fountain Valley, is being held at Orange County Jail and faces charges of kidnapping for ransom, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary with sentencing enhancements for inflicting great bodily injury. He has pleaded not guilty.
Police believe the kidnapping was a targeted attack motivated by money.
On Oct. 2, Newport Beach police received a call about a possible kidnapping in the 100 block of 25th Street on the Peninsula. When police investigated, they found a red substance, which appeared to be blood, in the home, according to a search warrant, affidavit and other documents filed in Orange County Superior Court.
Police learned that a Kern County deputy spotted a 53-year-old woman restrained with zip ties walking along a secluded and rural area of the Aerospace (14) Highway in Kern County’s Mojave Desert.
The deputy learned she and a 29-year-old man were kidnapped from a Balboa Peninsula home. The man, who rented the home, was bound with ties, and his penis had been partially cut off, according to court documents.
Three men wearing dark masks awoke the victims Oct. 1. One suspect was armed with a shotgun or rifle, documents show. The man and woman were blindfolded, bound and loaded into a van. The man was described as an acquaintance of the woman, although the nature of their relationship was not defined in court documents that included interviews with police officers.
The suspects used a rubber hose, gun handle and possibly a club in the kidnapping, police said in documents. A kitchen knife reportedly used on the man during the assault was found near the Kern County highway.
When police conducted their investigation Oct. 2, they found several poker chips scattered throughout the home.
In searching the house, police reported they took custody of a surveillance video from Woody’s Wharf, bedding and a shirt with what appeared to be blood and swabs from a Maserati among other items.
Neighbors said they heard rumors of a kidnapping, but none interviewed said they heard anything the night of the reported attack.
The Kern County Sheriff’s Department deferred all questions to the Newport Beach Police Department, which is leading the investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Newport Beach police at (800) 550-NBPD or Det. Ryan Peters at (949) 644-3779.
Twitter: @lawilliams30