BOARDMAN Kidnap probe and missing funds are linked

Police are still investigating the woman's story.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
BOARDMAN -- Township police are in the early stages of investigating a report by a woman who said she was abducted nine months ago, held for several hours and ultimately made to pay thousands of dollars to ensure her family's safety.
Sgt. Albert Kakascik said police have no suspects at this time but are still very early in the investigation. He said much more evidence will need to be reviewed, and the woman will likely be interviewed by police again.
The 49-year-old Poland woman, a doctor's secretary, said she was abducted from the lobby of her job in the 7000 block of Tiffany Boulevard around 11 a.m. March 9. Reports say a man entered the business, put an object to her right side and said "just walk with me and don't make a scene."
Reports say the woman and man left the business and were met in the parking lot by another man driving an older burgundy car. The woman said she was sprayed in the face with a solution that irritated her eyes and driven to a wooded area where she was asked a series of questions, including her occupation.
Said they made threat: Reports say the men eventually held up a picture of the woman's grandson taken from her wallet and told her they wanted checks, prescription pads and medicine on a monthly basis from the office where she worked. When the woman told the men she had no access to those items, reports say the men told her cash would do instead.
According to reports, the men made the woman sign a check payable to her employer, then went to a bank in Poland and cashed the check. The amount on the check is not known.
Eventually the men, holding the picture of the woman's grandson, told her they wanted $3,000 monthly or they would kill her and her family. She was driven back to her job and dropped off, after which she went home. The entire ordeal was said to have lasted just over two hours.
Said payments continued: The woman told police that she met the men in the parking lot of a local retail store and paid them $3,000 of her own money. The monthly payments continued through July -- some from her own savings and some from forged checks from her employer. The woman said she refused to pay the men after that and eventually decided to go to the police.
Kakascik said the doctor's office recently discovered the missing money and are compiling a list of all missing funds for authorities. He could not say if charges would likely be filed against anybody until officers review all the evidence and interview the woman again.
jgoodwin@vindy.com