A 19-year-old Belleview man is being held in the Marion County Jail without bond on kidnapping charges and his mother is accused of telling deputies the victim was not inside the residence when she was.
Hubert Santiesteban, of SE 115th Street, was charged with kidnapping/false imprisonment of an adult and violating a domestic violence protection order. Gloria Mena, 60, of the same address, was charged with obstructing a criminal investigation by providing false information to a law enforcement officer.
Marion County sheriff’s deputies responded the incident location on Thursday in reference to a domestic dispute. Mena, who owns the residence, refused to open the door, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The woman who reported the incident is in Miami. She said her daughter – the victim – called her and told her to call police because she was being held against her will. She said she was video chatting with the victim and could hear Santiesteban yelling at her. The victim told her mother that Santiesteban was refusing to let her out and was blocking her way, the report said.
Mena finally opened the door and, through a Spanish interpreter, started giving conflicting statements. First, she said the victim and Santiesteban were in Miami. She then said the man in the house wasn’t Santiesteban but was another man named Jose. Santiesteban’s vehicle was parked at the home, confirming he was there, according to the report.
Mena then said she had no idea who the victim was and said she wasn’t there. She finally admitted that Santiestaban was in the residence, the report said.
Mena and Santiesteban stood behind the door and tried to keep deputies from betting in. Once deputies were inside, they escorted Mena and Santiesteban to the floor. The victim was locked in the bedroom with her juvenile daughter, according to the report.
Santiesteban first told deputies the victim was not locked in the bedroom. He then said his mother told him to lock that door. When asked why he wouldn’t let deputies speak to the victim, he said because there was already a court case open for domestic violence between him and the victim. A records search showed that Santiesteban was served a non-expiring injunction on June 4 that prohibited contact with the victim, the report said.
The victim said she told Santiesteban and Mena that she wanted to leave, and she and Santiesteban started to argue. She said asked her mother to call law enforcement and when deputies arrived, Santiesteban told her to go into the room. She said he told her she couldn’t leave and to be quiet, according to the report.
Santiesteban and Mena were taken to the Marion County Jail. Santiesteban is being held without bond and will appear in Marion County Court on Oct. 6. Mena was released Saturday on $1,000 bond and is scheduled to be in court on Sept. 30.