YC man facing kidnapping, assault, extortion charges

A Yuba City man is under investigation for allegedly kidnapping a Marysville woman, Marysville police said Tuesday.

Investigators are still piecing together details and haven't figured out a motive in the crime, said Lt. Mark Cummings.

Ren Matthew Kirkpatrick, 29, is being held in Yuba County Jail on suspicion of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, terrorist threats and extortion.

"At one point, Kirkpatrick pointed a semi-automatic pistol at the victim and threatened he would kill her boyfriend and children," Cummings said in a statement.

Police began investigating at about 6 p.m. Monday when the victim's mother reported to police that she had received a distressed phone call from her 29-year-old daughter.

Because of the nature of one of the charges Kirkpatrick could face, police are withholding the victim's name, Cummings said.

The mother, who lives in Brownsville, drove to her daughter's home in the 1100 block of Ramirez Street and found the victim's three children. They said their mother, the victim, had left in a car with a man.

After talking to several witnesses, police began looking for Kirkpatrick.

In the meantime, the victim called her sister and asked her to leave $60 at a motel in Yuba City, where Kirkpatrick was believed to be living.

Police said the woman was able to escape when Kirkpatrick abandoned the car he was driving in the area of Highway 99 and Hunn Road.

Kirkpatrick claimed the car was stolen, police said, although that has not been confirmed.

At about 9:30 p.m., officers found Kirkpatrick walking back to the motel. Police arrested him after finding a small amount of methamphetamine on him.

About 15 minutes later, the victim called her mother to say she was a gas station a few blocks away from where Kirkpatrick left the car.

Police were able to identify him as the kidnapping suspect after interviewing the victim, who was not hurt, Cummings said.

Although police don't have a motive, the victim told investigators Kirkpatrick kidnapped her because he believed that she either owed him drugs or drug money.

Kirkpatrick is being held on $120,000 bail.

In 1997, Kirkpatrick was arrested on several drug charges and convicted of possession of methamphetamine while possessing a firearm, according to Fred Schroeder, Sutter County's assistant district attorney.

In 1998, he violated probation and received a three-year prison sentence, Schroeder said.

In 2000, Kirkpatrick was convicted of felony drunken driving and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, the prosecutor said.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Daniel Thigpen can be reached at 749-4713. You may e-mail him at dthigpen@appeal-democrat.com.