Kidnapped Woman Dragged On Cross Country Crime Spree Freed By SoCal Sheriff's, Additional Victims Sought
CHINO HILLS, CA — A North Carolina woman arrested with two others at an Inland Empire mall was held captive for an extended period of time and forced to commit fraud to repay debts, officials say. Now, officials are seeking information on her captor.
Rahson Govantes, 28, a resident of Cambria Heights, New York, and another unidentified woman were being held at the West Valley Detention Center on multiple pending felony charges of aggravated mayhem, torture, Kidnapping, and assault with a deadly weapon.
Saturday, shortly before 2:45 p.m., Chino Hills Sheriff's Station deputies arrived at The Shoppes at Chino Hills on a report of suspicious subjects loitering in front of a Sephora store.
Along with the kidnapping victim, a man and woman were detained, Deputy A. Brown shared. One of them was a 51-year-old woman from North Carolina whose name was not released.
During the investigation, deputies learned she had been kidnapped and forced to travel across the country with Govantes and another woman to commit fraud throughout the United States to repay debts she owed. Deputies also located several fraudulent identification cards, social security cards, and debit cards.
Investigators believe Govantes and the woman traveling with him tortured and abused the victim, who said she was burned with cigarettes and a curling iron.
The Chino Hills Sheriff's investigators are working to identify the second woman traveling with Govantes, as well as any additional victims in this case, and have released his name and picture. It was not immediately clear if the woman was a second kidnapping victim.
"Govantes' photo is being released and anyone who may have been victimized by him or anyone with information regarding this incident is urged to contact the Chino Hills Police Department at 909-364-2000," Brown said.
Callers wishing to remain anonymous may contact the We-Tip hotline at 1-800-782-7463 (1-800-78CRIME) or leave information on
Patch reported that Govantes was previously arrested in January in Pennsylvania for a where he racked up over $9,000 in purchases at Lowe's stores across the state. He pleaded guilty and was placed on four years of probation in June.
Patch has reached out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department for further information on the connection.
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