By Dermot Connolly
An Orland Park police investigation into a kidnapping and car theft in October resulted in the arrest of Denise Dominguez, 29, on Jan. 5. An arrest warrant was issued for a male suspect who is still at large.
Police said a man called them Oct. 12 claiming to have been kidnapped and his vehicle stolen the previous night. The victim said that when he entered the parking lot of his residence, he was approached by several people who identified themselves as special agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). They informed the victim that he was under arrest, placed a gun at his head and secured him in handcuffs.
They then covered his head with a ski mask and ordered him into another vehicle, which he was driven away in. One of the suspects drove away in the victim’s car.
The victim said he was driven to another location where the offenders bound his hands and legs and covered his mouth and eyes before demanding money in exchange for his release. He was released after the offenders took his wallet and withdrew money from his bank account.
Police said that during the initial investigation, it became evident that the act was not random and the victim was targeted. Within a day, Orland Park Police Department investigators located the victim’s vehicle in Chicago and identified several suspects.
An extensive investigation in the following months led to the arrest of Dominguez, of Gary, Ind., who was taken into custody in Chicago and charged with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated vehicular hijacking. An arrest warrant was issued for another suspect, identified as Jaime Ortiz, 37, of Chicago, who remained at large this week.
Following a hearing in Bridgeview Courthouse in front of Circuit Court Judge Margaret Ogarek last Thursday, bail for Dominguez was set at $250,000.