Police arrested a Morgan Hill man suspected of kidnapping his
girlfriend and assaulting her more than six weeks ago.
Police arrested a Morgan Hill man suspected of kidnapping his girlfriend and assaulting her more than six weeks ago.
Jose “Joey” Luis Varelas, 32, of Morgan Hill, was arrested without incident Wednesday at a labor camp on Luchessa Avenue in southeast Gilroy. He was arrested on a $500,000 warrant charging him with kidnapping, false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats and domestic violence.
He was booked into Santa Clara County Jail and did not post bail.
Gilroy Police officers, a Unified Narcotic Enforcement Team and members of the state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, along with MHPD officers, went to a migrant labor camp on a tip from a confidential source, according to MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson.
“Given his history, we wanted to cover all eventualities,” Sampson said, referring to the number of police on hand. “As it happened, he was taken by surprise, and there were no incidents.”
Late on Oct. 28, MHPD officers responded to a call from Varelas’ neighbors on Edmundson Avenue who reported hearing a woman screaming. By the time officers had arrived, Varelas had fled, but his 19-year-old girlfriend told officers he had forced her into a car at Main Avenue and Calle Mazatan. Police said he physically assaulted her while they were driven by a relative to the suspect’s home at 250-B W. Edmundson Ave.
Once at the residence, Varelas allegedly continued to abuse her by punching her in the face and kicking her, police said. He reportedly strangled her and hit her with a hammer while threatening to kill her.
Police were called to Varelas’ girlfriend’s residence on Oct. 16 for a domestic dispute, which Sampson described as “mutual.” Varelas was on parole for domestic violence from a previous relationship.
“I am very pleased that Varelas has been apprehended,” Sampson said. “Our officers, working with the other agencies, have concentrated their efforts to bring him in. Our community can rest a bit easier now that he is no longer at large.”
