Beaumont Man Arrested for Pappadeaux’s Kidnapping

U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Texas
June 28, 2012

BEAUMONT, TX—A 19—year-old Beaumont, Texas man has been arrested for carjacking in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales.

Rogelio Arellano Torres was arrested on June 27, 2012, pursuant to a criminal complaint issued by the U.S. District Court charging him with carjacking.

According to court documents, on June 24, 2012, law enforcement officers were dispatched to the Walden Road area of Interstate-10 South, where they found a young woman visibly upset, crying, and shaking. The woman told them she had been forcibly kidnapped from the Pappadeaux’s parking lot in her own car and forced to withdraw money from her account through an ATM. The woman was eventually forced from her vehicle and the assailant fled with her car, purse, and cell phone. She described the man, which police believed to be Torres based on previous contact with him, and she was able pick him out of a photo line-up. Based on additional tips and leads, a criminal complaint was filed on June 27, 2012 and an arrest warrant issued. Torres will appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Zack Hawthorn for a detention hearing on July 2, 2012.

If convicted, Torres faces up to 15 years in federal prison.

This case is being investigated by FBI and the Beaumont Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David H. Henderson.

It is important to note that a complaint, arrest, or indictment should not be considered as evidence of guilt and that all persons charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.