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BWC shows arrest of Ore. man whose kidnapping attempt was thwarted by 85-year-old bystander

The man is accused of stalking a woman and tasing her before physically attacking her; when the bystander confronted the suspect, the woman was able to run to her car

By Sophia Cossette
oregonlive.com

CENTRAL POINT, Ore. — A Central Point man tried to kidnap a 25-year-old woman after stalking and tasing her at a mobile-home park in Medford last week, prosecutors allege in court documents.

Matthew Hokulii Aranda, 42, faces charges of assault, attempted kidnapping, stalking, unlawful use of a global positioning system device, unlawful use of a weapon and menacing.

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On the morning of May 8, Aranda posed as a utility worker and waited for the victim for several hours at a mobile-home park in the 3900 block of South Stage Road in Medford, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. Aranda allegedly used a Taser, a conducted-energy device, on the woman and then physically attacked her.

An 85-year-old resident of the mobile-home park heard the woman’s screams and confronted Aranda, investigators said.

Aranda tased the resident who intervened and then chased his initial victim with a large hunting knife, officials said. The woman was able to get in her car, and Aranda jumped onto the hood, but fell off as she drove away.

Officers using a police dog found Aranda injured and hiding in a nearby bush, pulled him out and arrested him.

Police said the woman Aranda tried to kidnap works as a caregiver at the mobile-home park. Officials have not released her name or said whether she knows Aranda.

Court records show that Aranda was convicted in 2016 of charges including stalking, using a child in display of sexually explicit conduct and delivery of a controlled substance to a minor.

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