KERN COUNTY, Calif. — A father and his daughter have been arrested in the kidnapping and sexual assault of a woman in Las Vegas after holding her for several days before she was found at Edwards Air Force Base.
According to jail records, Stanley Alfred Lawton, 54, and Shaniya Poche Lawton, 22, are each being held on $1 million bail.
Kern County Sheriff's Office said they received a call around 5 a.m. Wednesday from military personnel who found the victim near the entrance of the Edwards Air Force Base. When deputies arrived, they determined that the woman was a victim of a kidnapping that happened in Las Vegas and needed medical attention. KCSO assisted in getting the woman to a local hospital in Los Angeles County.
The FBI is investigating the abduction with Los Angeles County and Las Vegas-area police. The case may be moved to federal court because the victim had been taken across state lines, but only state charges have been filed so far.
The Lawtons each face charges of kidnapping to commit a robbery, attempted murder, kidnapping from outside the state, forcible rape and three counts of first-degree ATM robbery, according to the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.
It was not clear if the Lawtons had lawyers who could speak on their behalf.
