Detectives ask for help identifying man who may have kidnapped, sexually assaulted teen before crashing a car

Spokane County Sheriff detectives are asking the public to help identify a suspect in a possible kidnapping and sexual assault that led to a rollover crash.

A 17-year-old girl, who does not speak English, was found in a rolled 2008 black Chevrolet Trail-Blazer on North Wood Road near West Coulee Hite Road on Sunday northeast of Spokane. She told detectives at the hospital she was approached in the car by a man who threatened her with a gun and said he would shoot her, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The man tried to sexually assault the teen, restrained her with rope, stole the car and began to drive it until he crashed. The teen woke up in the morning and he was gone, she told investigators.

The suspect was described to be around 6 feet tall with long brown hair, wearing a black facial covering, black pants, a black shirt and a hat.

Earlier in the night before the crash, the same car was stopped by police on suspicion of a DUI on North Wood Road between West Martha Lane and West Kitt Road. The girl was riding as a passenger at the time with an adult man, the sheriff’s office said. The man was arrested and booked into the Spokane County Jail, where he arranged for someone to pick up the SUV and the girl. The woman he called arrived to pick up the car and the girl, but when she got there, the teen and the car were gone. The SUV with the girl inside was found six hours after the crash.

Investigators are asking residents to check their cameras for footage of a man walking in the area or for any footage of the 2008 black Chevrolet Trailblazer{%%note} {/%%note} during the late hours of Saturday and early morning hours of Sunday, up to 6:30 a.m.

Those with information can contact Detective Tom Keys at 509-934-7831 or by email at mkeys@spokanesheriff.org, reference #10020307.