A man and his daughter who allegedly kidnapped a woman in Las Vegas, then reportedly robbed, raped and assaulted her before dumping her in the desert near Edwards Air Force Base are now behind bars. The pair appeared in court this week but did not enter a plea.
Details of the alleged crime spree were not immediately released by authorities, but NBC4 reported late last week that the victim was abducted about two weeks ago and held for ransom before being bound with duct tape and left to die in the Antelope Valley desert. She was found Nov. 6 by Air Force police officers near the military base, the station reported.
According to the District Attorney’s Office, Stanley Lawton, 54, and Shaniya Poche-Lawton, 22, were both charged with one count each of kidnapping to commit robbery, kidnapping from outside the state, attempted murder and forcible rape, along with three counts each of first-degree ATM robbery.
Stanley Lawton was scheduled for arraignment on Nov. 8 in a Lancaster courtroom. He was arrested on Nov. 6 by deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Palmdale station, according to jail records.
Shaniya Poche-Lawton was expected to appear in court on Tuesday, also in Lancaster. She was arrested on Nov. 7 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
According to NBC4, which was the first to report the alleged crimes, the victim was kidnapped from a Las Vegas business on Nov. 1. She was initially held captive in Nevada, then placed in the trunk of a car and eventually taken to a location in Palmdale, Channel 4 reported, citing unnamed law enforcement sources.
According to the NBC4 report, the assailants repeatedly beat and sexually assaulted her, and forced the victim to withdraw money from her bank account.
