Coeur d’Alene man accused of kidnapping, assault

Coeur d’Alene police arrested a man early Sunday on charges of kidnapping, aggravated assault and attempted rape after he allegedly abducted a woman at the Coeur d’Alene Press offices.

Jason A. Edwards, 44, a Coeur d’Alene resident and subcontractor for the Coeur d’Alene Press, is a registered sex offender with a previous conviction of lewd conduct against a 4-year-old girl, according to police.

A 27-year-old woman who arrived at the newspaper offices at 215 N. Second St. at 5:25 a.m. Sunday told police she had been working alone when Edwards came into the building and told her that her friend was waiting to talk to her outside.

According to police, she followed Edwards outside and found no friend. Edwards allegedly put his arm around her, verbally threatened her and held a knife to her stomach. He then walked her to his van parked about 200 yards away and attempted to open the van door, she told police. The victim was able to break free and take the knife from Edwards. During the struggle, his hand was cut.

The woman ran back to the Press building and the suspect chased her, police said. She made it inside and locked herself in an interior office, where she called police. The suspect walked around looking for her but was not able to get into the room she was in, police said.

He left the building and drove his van to the area of Northwest Boulevard and Davidson Avenue, where officers attempted to stop the vehicle. Edwards made a U-turn on Davidson and ran over a mailbox before stopping for officers, police said.

He was taken into custody and treated for his injury at Kootenai Health before he was lodged in the Kootenai County Jail. Edwards also was charged with burglary and driving while intoxicated.

Edwards was sentenced to 180 days in prison for the previous lewd conduct conviction. That case was investigated by the Coeur d’Alene Police Department in 2008.