Alleged kidnapper nabbed following media report

WOODLAND — A 29-year-old Woodland man faces kidnapping charges after a witness recognized him from media accounts of his alleged crime.

Horacio Bernardo Lopez was arrested late Wednesday at his North Street home on suspicion of abducting and trying to rape a woman Saturday morning, Woodland police Sgt. Anthony Cucchi said.

The victim, an unidentified Woodland woman, reported the incident shortly after 10:30 a.m. Saturday after fleeing from her assailant.

She said she had been walking south on West Street near Buckeye Street earlier that morning when a man in a black sport-utility vehicle approached her and asked for directions. As they talked through the passenger window, the man pointed a handgun at the woman and ordered her into his car.

He drove her to a rural area of Yolo County, ordering the woman to take off her clothes as he drove, Parsons said. He then pulled into a grove of trees near County Road 98 and Interstate 5, where he got out of the car and walked to the passenger side. As he did, the woman tried calling for help on her cell phone.

A struggle ensued when the suspect opened the passenger door, and the woman was able to break free, Parsons said. She ran to the freeway and flagged down a passerby who stopped to help.

The victim had superficial injuries and did not require medical treatment.

Cucchi said police received a tip about Lopez’s possible involvement on Wednesday, two days after police had released a sketch of the kidnapping suspect. The witness also recognized the description of Lopez’s vehicle, Cucchi said.

Officers took the victim to Lopez’s home, where she identified him as her assailant, Cucchi said.

Lopez was lodged at the Yolo County Jail Thursday on suspicion of kidnapping with intent to commit rape. His bail was set at $1 million.