Elderly woman tells bank employees she was kidnapped, ordered to withdraw large sum of cash
Two people were arrested after an older woman told bank employees in Ceres, California, that she had been kidnapped and was ordered to withdraw a large amount of money, according to police.
Wells Fargo employees reported the incident to police on Thursday. Police responded and immediately arrested a woman who police later learned identified herself with a false name.
Police said that 33-year-old Nicholas Payton, who is a felon on probation, was also involved in the kidnapping. He fled the area before police arrived but was arrested a block away.
Officers said they found a loaded rifle without a serial number in Payton's backpack. Both suspects were booked on kidnapping, elder abuse charges and conspiracy to commit a crime charges.
Payton was also booked for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, a prohibited person in possession of ammunition, carrying a loaded firearm in public, carrying a firearm while in possession of a controlled substance, and possession of an unserialized firearm.
The victim was reunited with her family.
Police said Saturday that they later learned with the help of the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office and fingerprint analysis that one of the suspect's real names was Stephanie Maghoney.
She had an active felony warrant for her arrest in Tracy, California, for burglary.
Maghoney was re-arrested for that outstanding warrant and now also faces a felony charge for false impersonation.