Man Faces Felony Charges after Allegedly Kidnapping, Sexually Assaulting Estranged Wife
Above: Samuel Garcia-Gutierrez booking photo | Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office
A Sacramento County man has been arrested and reportedly faces six felony charges for the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of his estranged wife.
According to a press release by the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, the victim was kidnapped and sexually assaulted by her estranged husband on Friday, March 10, 2023. The suspect, identified as 41-year-old Samuel Garcia-Gutierrez, allegedly forced the victim to drive to his residence at gunpoint and held her there against her will for several hours.
Police allege that Garcia-Gutierrez sexually assaulted the victim during her captivity. She was eventually able to escape and was rescued by her family members, who contacted the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. The case was taken over by the Sheriff’s Office Sexual and Elder Abuse Bureau (SEAB), who obtained a search warrant for Garcia-Gutierrez’s residence.
On the morning of Saturday, March 11, 2023, with the assistance of the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office Special Enforcement Detail (SED), the search warrant was served at Garcia-Gutierrez’s residence, and he was taken into custody without incident.
Evidence was found inside the residence that corroborated the victim’s account, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Garcia-Gutierrez was subsequently transported to the Sacramento County Main Jail, where he was booked on suspicion of kidnapping with the intent to commit rape, false imprisonment, assault with a firearm, and rape by means of force, violence, duress, menace, or fear.
Garcia-Gutierrez remains in custody and is currently ineligible for bail, and made his first court appearance on the afternoon of Tuesday, March 14.
According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, an average of over 10 million men and women suffer violence at the hands of an intimate partner each year. An average of 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence by an intimate partner, and an estimated 1 in 10 women have been raped by an intimate partner (there does not appear to be sufficient data available regarding male victims).
