A Colorado couple hiking a trail in the Jefferson County area was allegedly held at gunpoint by a man in disguise in an attempted kidnapping this week.
Per a report from the Denver Post, the hikers were confronted on the trail by a man they later realized they knew, since identified as 73-year-old Kerry Endsley. In a press release, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office —the agency which responded to the scene—said its dispatchers first received a 911 call from another hiker just after 8:00 a.m. local time on Friday. The hiker informed dispatchers he was “actively witnessing” a pair of hikers who were being held at gunpoint by a man, at which point the caller was instructed to stay on the line.
Once responding deputies arrived at the scene, they are said to have found the couple before later locating the suspect and approaching him at gunpoint. A deputy fired at the suspect, but didn’t hit him. Another deputy, meanwhile, used his Taser on the suspect, who was then taken into custody.
Revealed during an ensuing interview of the two hikers was that they had realized during the alleged kidnapping effort that the suspect was Endsley, whose identity had initially been obscured due to an attempted disguise. According to the couple, the man they later recognized as Endsley first confronted them with a gun and forced the woman to wear a nylon leash. At some during the incident, one of the victims, a male, was successful in retrieving the suspect’s gun.
The Post report adds that an initial investigation found that Endsley, per police, “has a history of harassing the female victim.” The 73-year-old has since been confirmed to have been arrested for second-degree kidnapping, felony menacing, and violation of a restraining order. When apprehended, he was transported to a local hospital.
