Kennewick Kidnapper, DV Suspect Arrested by KPD and Benton Sheriffs

Thanks to assistance from not only the Benton County Sheriff's Offiice but also Franklin County Deputies and Pasco and Richland Police, a domestic violence suspect is behind bars.

  The Man Fled Domestic Violence Scene with Victim

Around 6:55 PM Sunday evening, March 15th, Kennewick Police responded to a home in the 400 block of South Rainier Street about a disturbance.

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When they arrived they found a male suspect had threatened and assaulted a woman, then kidnapped her and fled the scene in his vehicle.

    Multiple Agencies Joined in the Search

With Officers from Tri-City area agencies searching both counties, Benton County Deputies and KPD located the man, identified as Armando Meraz, and he was taken into custody.

According to Kennewick Police, he's facing a large list of felonies including:

"...Kidnapping 1 DV, Felony Harassment DV, and Assault 4 DV."

The woman was also located during the arrest, and is now safe.

 Not Long Ago, Suspect Arrested in Connection with Abduction of Oregon Girl

Back on March 3rd, we reported about arrests made in southern Benton County. Oregon officials alerted the BCSO about a girl who was taken against her will, and was at a remote location in a remote area of the county.

After a search Deputies located the female, and  25-year-old Alec Lepe was taken into custody and is facing multiple charges related to the incident.  Over the last four months, there have been at least four other significant kidnapping incidents between Whitman, Grant, and Kittitas Counties in WA STate.