Tale of Two Cities: Columbus man kidnapped/robbed; CA jeweler foils attempt

Saturday, June 07, 2003

Police were searching for three men who kidnapped a North Side man yesterday and forced him to drive to his Westerville workplace, where they made him open the safe.

Authorities were also looking for a fourth man, who drove the getaway car. The four got away with an undisclosed amount of money. The kidnapped man escaped uninjured.

The three kidnappers grabbed the man just outside his home about 6 a.m. and entered his vehicle with him, Westerville police detective Scott Dollison said. They ordered him to drive to the CVS pharmacy at 620 S. Cleveland Ave. in Westerville, where one of the kidnappers walked with the man inside and forced him to open the safe.

The kidnappers then made the man drive to Blendon Woods Metro Park on Dublin-Granville Road, where a car who had been following them also stopped. As the kidnappers got out of the man’s car, he ran away. Authorities later recovered the man’s vehicle.

Anyone with information can call Columbus police at 614-645-4624, Westerville police at 614-901-6476 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-645-8477.

Meanwhile, in a state that allows its law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense, a different outcome resulted when this California jeweler was confronted by a trio of armed robbers who drug a hostage into his store:

The Independent-Journal, San Rafael, CA

A trio of young thugs, after kidnapping a San Francisco woman, forced her to drive them to the San Rafael, Calif., jewelry store of Tony Spitaleri. When they dragged their hostage into his store and demanded cash, Spitaleri responded by drawing a gun. The surprised hoodlums then beat a hasty retreat.

• Could the lifting of Ohio's unconstitutional ban on carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense have saved this Columbus kidnapping and robbery victim?

Contact information for the area's elected officials is provided below:

State House of Representatives
• >Rep. Larry Flowers (R-19) - Rep. Flowers voted for both HB274 and HB12. Thank him!
Phone: (614) 466-4847
Fax: (614) 644-9494

State Senate
• >Sen. David Goodman (R-3) - Sen. Goodman sits on the Criminal Justice Committee which is considering HB12
Phone: (614) 466-8064

Click here to read the entire story in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only).