Soledad kidnapping suspect arrested in Salinas

UPDATE 7/17/17 9 p.m.: A Soledad family woke up to a nightmare early Monday morning.

“A gentleman was getting ready for work. He decided to put his child inside the vehicle while it warmed up. (He) went back inside to retrieve something before he headed out to work, and when he came out, the vehicle was missing with his child inside of it,” said Sgt. Juan Espinoza, of the Soledad Police Department.

Eight-month-old Emiliano Salinas was taken more than 80 miles north. San Jose police said at around 8 a.m., three hours after the abduction, suspect Raymond Randy Guiterrez gave a baby to a homeless woman in San Jose.

“He said, ‘Take this baby. I grabbed this car and there’s a baby in it. I don’t know what to do with babies,” Mamas Ramirez said.

Moments later, Collin Blevin, a construction worker nearby, called the police.

“He wasn’t concerned in the slightest. He was spun out or something,” Blevin said.

Police said Guttierez is a transient and goes back and forth between Soledad and San Jose and has had a few encounters with police officers.

And this is the second time someone has snatched a car with a baby inside it in Soledad.

“About a year ago, this exact same thing happened. A person start the car (with a) child in the car, car gets stolen, child’s recovered hidden in the shed out by the river,” said Soledad Deputy Police Chief Damon Wasson.

Damon Wasson, Now officers are reminding parents not to leave their children unattended in a car, not even just for a minute.

“The few seconds that you save by leaving your car running to run back inside the house is not worth it. Somebody is going to steal your car. Somebody is going to steal your baby,” Wasson said.

Charges are pending but could include stolen vehicle, kidnapping, child endangerment and possession of stolen property. The child was medically cleared and has been reunited with his parents at the San Jose Police Department. UPDATE 7/17/17 8:23 a.m.: Soledad police report that a 8-month-old baby, the subject of an Amber Alert Monday morning, was found safe in San Jose. Police said the child was turned in to police a few minutes before 8 a.m, about three hours after the abduction. A woman told San Jose police she saw a man who appeared under the influence of drugs with a baby in the back seat of the car. The woman was fearful for the safety of the baby and opened the rear door and pulled the car seat out. The suspect returned to the car and fled the scene. Salinas police spotted the white Honda described in Monday morning’s Amber Alert. Officers conducted a vehicle stop and arrested 43-year-old Raymond Randy Gutierrez, also known as “Turtle.” Charges are pending but could include stolen vehicle, kidnapping, child endangerment, and possession of stolen property. The child was medically cleared and reunited with his parents at the San Jose Police Department.
KION’s Linda Zhang has the full story at 5 p.m. PREVIOUS STORY: An Amber Alert has been issued for Emiliano Salinas, who was abducted from Soledad, California, early this morning. The 1-year-old Hispanic child is 2 feet tall, weighing 23 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, last seen wearing a black-and-white shirt and gray pants. The 1992 white Honda Accord has license plate 6RGB061. If you see this car, you’re asked to call 911. We will update this story when more information is available.