MANITOWOC (NBC 26) — Bond has been set at $500,000 cash for two defendants accused of kidnapping a 16-year-old Two Rivers girl.
Alexcer Solis Gomez and Pedro Giron Perez are facing kidnapping charges stemming from an investigation that began in August and spans multiple states.
Judge Patricia Koppa set bail at $500,000 cash for both Gomez and Perez, discussing the harmful effects of methamphetamine in relation to this case and the allegations of kidnapping a child.
"I cannot in good conscience set less than $500,000 cash bail under these circumstances," Koppa said regarding Gomez's bail.
Assistant District Attorney Angelina Scarpelli outlined details of the investigation, which originally started a few months prior. According to prosecutors, Gomez told Wyoming state troopers that he was paid $1,500 by someone named Eduardo to pick up the victim. When police searched Eduardo's Appleton residence, they found cocaine and cash.
Defense attorney Carl Knepel represented both Gomez and Perez, noting that Perez lives in California, and does not have a current telephone number. Perez was found in the vehicle with co-defendant Gomez and the victim, and his identification was a Mexican ID at the time of his arrest.
Scarpelli told the court she believes Perez is a Mexican citizen and there may be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement hold placed on him. "If that were the case, and the defendant were to post bail, we would lose him and he would not be able to appear in court dates here," Scarpelli said.
Prosecutors also believe a possible assault of the victim took place in Iowa, based on police reports from the investigation.
The victim was in attendance at the bail hearing but did not speak during the proceedings.
When Knepel requested the court consider a lesser bond amount for Perez, Scarpelli responded that she set the cash bond high because "the alleged kidnapping with a child should be considered just as serious as possessing large amounts of drugs."
Scarpelli added that while a request for bail reduction will likely be made when appropriate, "I cannot minimize the long term effects of this crime on the victim."
Both defendants face strict conditions if released, including no drugs or alcohol in any amount, prohibition from leaving the state, no contact with each other, and no contact with the victim or her parents. The initial appearance for both defendants is scheduled for December 22 at 1:30 p.m. in Branch 2.
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Previous Coverage:
According to a criminal complaint, police were called to a home on Forest Avenue in Two Rivers on the afternoon of November 28, after the victim's sister reported her missing. When police arrived, they spoke to another witness who said she saw the victim leave the home with a man around 3 p.m.
The witness told police she had been texting with the victim who told her she was "on the road," and that "it was for the safety of her family."
Investigators began pinging the victim's phone, according to the complaint, which showed her location as Monticello, Iowa, and then, later, in Nebraska.
The following Saturday, using cell phone tracking, Wyoming Highway Patrol stopped the suspect vehicle, a gray 2020 Hyundai with California plates, on I-80 between Laramie and Rawlins.
The missing girl was found inside.
Gomez and Perez allegedly told police that they were hired to transport the victim to Utah.
