Second kidnapping suspect arrested

Jacob Gonzales, the man believed to be responsible for the Aug. 20 kidnapping and battery of his ex-girlfriend, was arrested Thursday in El Paso, Texas.

After determining probably cause for charges in the case, Las Cruces police obtained a warrant for Gonzales’s arrest. He was arrested Thursday evening by El Paso police. The warrant charges Gonzales, 25, with one first-degree felony count of kidnapping, one third-degree felony count of aggravated battery against a household member and a misdemeanor count of interference with communication.

Gonzales’s cousin, 22-year-old Nathaniel Baca, was arrested last week for his part in the incident. Baca is charged one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. The charge is a second-degree felony. Baca was arrested about 8:30 a.m. Aug. 24 after crashing a vehicle and leading officers on a brief foot pursuit near Delano Drive.

About 4:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, Las Cruces police were dispatched to Memorial Medical Center where a 27-year-old woman was being treated for multiple non-life-threatening injuries.

The woman told investigations that Gonzales, her ex-boyfriend, and his cousin Nathanial Baca, were armed with a rifle and handgun they used to threaten her. Gonzales and Baca are accused of forcing the woman into her own vehicle where she was beat by Gonzales. Baca drove them to an undeveloped area where the suspects forced the woman to remove her clothes and shoes. They forced her into the vehicle’s trunk and drove to an unknown residence before returning to her home early Thursday morning. When the two suspects left her residence, the woman sought medical attention at the hospital.

Gonzales is expected to be extradited from El Paso to Las Cruces to face charges. Baca remains in custody at the Dona Ana County Detention Center. Both suspects will initially be held without bond.