BRYAN, Texas — A Bryan woman said her ex-boyfriend of 25 years kidnapped her at gunpoint, drove her to Madisonville and threatened to commit suicide after she broke up with him.
Ben Arevalo III, 44, of Bryan, is charged with aggravated kidnapping and unlawful carrying of a weapon. He's also got charges of possession of a controlled substance and engaging in organized criminal activity.
A friend of the victim's called police Monday after the victim didn't show up for work at about 7:30 a.m. Arevalo had been harassing the victim for several weeks, the friend said, and when they called the victim's phone, Arevalo answered it and the victim could be heard yelling for help.
Authorities were able to track the victim's phone and police said the GPS information showed it was on its way back to Bryan from Madisonville.
A lieutenant with the Brazos County Sheriff's Office spotted a car matching the description of Arevalo's in the 6000 block of Highway 21 and made a traffic stop, according to court documents.
Arevalo was taken into custody around 9 a.m. and the victim was found to be okay, police said.
During an interview with police, the victim said Arevalo had been hiding in her bushes when she left her home to go to work. She told police he had a gun and told her to get in her car and drive as he got in the passenger seat. Later, he told her to pull over at the Exxon gas station on the 800 block of North Earl Rudder Freeway so he could drive.
The victim told police she ran from the car and got to the front doors of the gas station, screaming for someone to call 911, before Arevalo grabbed her from behind with the gun and forced her into the car.
The victim said Arevalo drove them to Madisonville and made several stops, only getting out of the car to smoke a cigarette while he kept an eye on her. He then hid the gun, she said, and drove back to Bryan, when they were finally stopped.
Authorities interviewed Arevalo at the jail. They said he admitted to forcing the victim into his car but never wanted to hurt her. He's currently in the Brazos County Jail on $135,000 bond.
