PHOENIX – Four Mesa residents were arrested Thursday in connection with the alleged kidnapping of a woman whose head was then shaved and her face branded with the word "snitch," police said.
The 38-year-old victim, whose name has not been released, claimed she was abducted in Mesa on June 13 and the kidnappers shaved part of her head and used a branding iron on her face.
The branding allegedly was in retaliation for the woman turning in two of the suspects to Child Protective Services in February 2006.
The victim said she was then blindfolded and dropped off on a Mesa street where she was spotted by people who called police.
Police said James H. Standridge, 34, Jackie L. Getz, 26, and Kibbol A. Avila, 33, were arrested on suspicion of kidnapping, aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment while Preston L. Valdez, 21, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault and unlawful imprisonment.
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