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Deputies rescue ‘shaking, crying’ passenger who driver had allegedly kidnapped and raped repeatedly

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UKIAH, Calif. – Two people were arrested Saturday after a Sacramento woman told deputies she was kidnapped then held against her will for four days and raped repeatedly.

Around 11:35 p.m., Mendocino County deputies noticed a vehicle driving on North State Street in Ukiah that had multiple vehicle code violations tied to it, according to the sheriff’s office. Once the driver parked, deputies identified him as 33-year-old Thao Vang, from Sacramento.

The sheriff’s office says sitting next to Vang was 33-year-old Christine Maxwell and in the backseat was a bruised 34-year-old Sacramento woman who was crying and shaking.

The visibly upset woman told deputies she had been kidnapped by Vang four days prior in Sacramento and taken to a home in the area. There, she says Vang abused her and raped her numerous times.

On Saturday, Vang and Maxwell drove the woman to Ukiah, according to the sheriff’s office. She told deputies she thought she was going to be killed.

The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office says their deputies found evidence supporting the woman’s statements, including drug paraphernalia, and arrested Vang and Maxwell, who were later booked into the Mendocino County Jail.

Vang faces charges for kidnapping, rape, false imprisonment and conspiracy. When he was found, deputies also discovered he had a felony warrant out of Butte County, which led to an additional charge for possessing a controlled substance while armed. His bail was set at $175,000.

Maxwell was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and conspiracy, and her bail was set at $100,000.