BOISE, Idaho — A man accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and driving her from California to Idaho in December 2022 has pleaded guilty, U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced Thursday.
41-year-old Emiliano Jaime Ramos was arrested in Nampa and booked into the Canyon County Jail on Dec. 23, 2022, on charges of first-degree kidnapping, rape and aggravated assault. Two days prior to the arrest, Ramos kidnapped the woman as she got in her vehicle after work at a medical clinic in California.
Thursday's news release said Ramos waited for the woman in the parking lot and got behind the vehicle's driver's seat as she attempted to leave. Ramos reportedly pressed a gun against the woman's side and told her to drive north. Fearing she would be shot, the woman drove away from the clinic.
Ramos forced the woman to drive to Nevada and Oregon, before eventually checking into a hotel in Nampa. The woman quickly turned on her cell phone and texted 911 before turning the device back off while Ramos was asleep at the hotel. The U.S. Attorney's Office said officers used the message to eventually rescue the woman and arrest Ramos on Dec. 23, as he exited the hotel room.
Officials said Ramos had a "large knife" in addition to the gun when he kidnapped the woman in California. He told the woman he planned to kill her in Idaho, Hurwit's announcement said. Police also learned the woman was sexually assaulted during the kidnapping.
Ramos faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison upon sentencing on Nov. 7, 2023.
“It is humbling for my office to be able to seek justice in this disturbing kidnapping and sexual assault case,” Hurwit said. “The victim in this case showed remarkable bravery, and I am also grateful for the quick response of the Nampa Police Department. The public should rest assured that, along with our law enforcement partners, we will aggressively pursue, and hold accountable, those who use firearms to commit federal offenses in Idaho.”
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