3 face federal charges in gun-point kidnapping of elderly man

The victim, a Clark County resident, was allegedly taken across state lines into Indiana.
James Marriott

James Marriott

A 79-year-old Clark County man mouthed to a store manager to call police after he was kidnapped at gun point and driven to Richmond, Ind., according to federal court documents.

The man was kidnapped Oct. 6 at a Vandalia motel in a scheme committed by his grandson’s ex-girlfriend and two men, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dayton’s U.S. District Court. The alleged victim was not named in court documents.

The woman — 25-year-old Taylor Nicole Karas — along with James Robert Marriott, 33, and Andrew Azzalina, 30, all face federal charges. They include conspiracy, kidnapping, brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence and possession of a stolen vehicle that crossed a state line.

At a detention hearing Monday, Karas was ordered to attend in-patient treatment for substance abuse and mental health concerns. U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Michael Newman ruled that Karas would be detained until a bed becomes available at a suitable facility.

Newman said Karas would stay for 14-28 days before possibly being released on home detention. Karas also was ordered not to have any contact with any witnesses or co-defendants, especially Marriott and Azzalina.

No dates had been set for court appearances for Marriott and Azzalina.

An affidavit written by Federal Bureau of Investigation special agent Andrea Kinzig detailed what she termed facts supporting probable cause.

According to the affidavit, Karas dated the 79-year-old man’s grandson six years ago; for the past year she has asked the man for money, claiming she needed it for food and gasoline. The man provided up to $100, and Karas had usually repaid the money.

Karas asked the man to meet her Oct. 6 at the Vandalia Super 8 motel and then Karas went to the bathroom. While she was in the bathroom, two males entered the room and one of them pointed a gun at the 79-year-old, court documents said.

The males made the older man take off his pants so they could search the pockets. They also went through Karas’ purse but didn’t appear to take anything. The older man said he didn’t know his PIN number and one man called him a “liar, threatened to kill him, and cocked the gun,” according to court documents.

All four drove in the older man’s vehicle to Chase Bank in Englewood, to a gravel road near Eaton, to a Dollar General Store in Lewisburg and ultimately to Dick’s Sporting Goods, court documents said.

According to documents, Marriott told the man he would be killed if he said anything when they entered the store to complete a transaction. The man mouthed to a store manager for help and then went to the bathroom. When he returned, Karas, Marriott and Azzalina were gone and police arrived shortly after. A search of a second motel room in Vandalia revealed two used syringes and a .40 caliber bullet.

Marriott was arrested Oct. 7 at the Extended Stay Hotel in Miami Twp. On Oct. 11, Azzalina was arrested by Eaton police for felony grand theft. Jail records show Karas was arrested Oct. 20.

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