Authorities arrested a man in Eagle County over the weekend for allegedly kidnapping a woman and her two children.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office said the man, Martin Cabadas, 29, threatened the victim with a knife and told her to drive them all to Las Vegas, where they would “become a happy family together.”
Officials say the incident started Saturday in downtown Denver when Cabadas offered the woman $20 in exchange for a ride. Sheriff’s spokesperson Shannon Cordingly said Carbadas and the woman were previously acquainted.
The woman agreed at first, but she changed her mind and asked Cabadas to leave.
That’s when officials say Cabadas pulled out the knife.
The woman drove her Blazer west on Interstate 70. She made herself sick and pulled onto the side of the highway, but when she couldn’t get her children out of the SUV too, she got back in and continued driving.
Officials say the Blazer was low on fuel near Vail, so Cabadas let the woman stop at a Phillips 66 station in West Vail and then sent her in to pay.
Once inside, the woman passed a note to the clerk: “call 911 70 W Black Blazer with green trim.”
The clerk alerted authorities, and an Eagle County deputy spotted the Blazer about 6:30 p.m. Saturday near Eagle. He stopped the SUV and got the woman and her children out safely.
Cabadas is currently being held at the Eagle County Detention Facility.
