Three held on high bail in violent kidnap, assault case

From left, Dylan Austin,Shantel Rodriguez, Cody Boudreau (York County Jail photos)

SANFORD, Maine - Sanford Police today reported that three have been arrested in a brutal kidnapping and assault that occurred last month.

The incident unfolded on Jan. 11 when 28-year-old male was lured to an abandoned apartment in Sanford by an acquaintance.

After the victim and the acquaintance arrived at the apartment, Shantel Rodriguez, 25, Dylan Austin, 26, and Cody Boudreau, 22, arrived and held the victim hostage for several hours, police say.

During this time the victim was beaten and forced to make phone calls to procure a large sum of money to secure his release, according to police.

When the victim tried to escape he was tackled and stabbed with a knife, police say. He suffered life threatening injuries and was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland.

Sanford Police were first alerted to the incident by a neighbor who said a male was outside lying on a snowbank and appeared to have been assaulted. Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division responded to the scene and, when the injuries to the victim appeared life-threatening, the State Police Major Crimes Unit was summoned. Maine Drug Enforcement Agency was summoned later to assist in the investigation.

Detectives from both agencies worked on the investigation to identify and interview suspects. Two search warrants were executed at two different locations on Jan. 12.

On Thursday Sanford Police obtained three warrants of arrest for Rodriguez, Austin, and Cody, all of Sanford. The warrants were for Kidnapping, a class A offense, and Aggravated Assault, a class B offense. Bail was set at $10,000 cash for all three suspects.

A deputy from York County Sheriff's Office encountered Austin on a traffic stop in Acton on Thursday, after which he was arrested on the recently signed warrant. Then on Friday Sanford Police encountered Rodriguez on Riverside Avenue in Sanford, and she was arrested. Finally on Saturday Boudreau turned himself in to the York County Jail on his warrants. All three suspects were due in court today.