Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Elderly woman kidnapped, robbed

An elderly Nevada County woman was robbed and kidnapped from her home Saturday morning, May 31, according to Nevada County Sheriff Steve Otwell.

Otwell urges residents to be alert and exercise caution if a strange vehicle pulls into the driveway.

"If a strange vehicle pulls up in the driveway people need to be prepared for the worst," Otwell said. "We need to get back to basics where neighbors check on neighbors."

According to Otwell, Charlene Wicker, 82, was out working in her yard on Highway 67 South of Prescott Saturday morning when a strange car pulled into her driveway.

She saw a black male get out of the car. She got off of her lawnmower and went over to see what he wanted. He was reportedly very polite and well dressed.

As Wicker talked with the man, a second black male came out of her house with her purse. When she asked what was going on, the man punched her in the face, grabbed her, and put her in the back seat of her Ford Explorer.

One drove off in her vehicle, and other drove the vehicle they came in. They drove toward town and asked Wicker where her bank card was, but she wouldn't tell them.

Every time Wicker tried to get up and look out the see where they were going, the man elbowed her in the face and told her to get down.

They left Wicker's Ford Explorer parked at Rip Griffin's Truck and Travel Center with her in the back seat, her hands taped together and her nose broken.

The two told her to stay down until they were gone.

After about 30 minutes Wicker got out and went into the truck stop for help.

"We got a description of the suspects from another resident on Highway 67," Otwell said. "There were two black males in their 20s in a dark colored, late model Chevy Malibu, possibly maroon or black. They pulled up in the driveway that morning. The wife was out mowing the yard, but when her husband came around from the back they asked for directions to Texas.

"We did recover some evidence, and we hope that the crime lab can get some latent fingerprints or some DNA that might help us identify the suspects.

"They seem to be targeting women," Otwell said. "If a man shows up or they're outnumbered, they have a line or a plausible question to ask. People just need be alert and be aware of their surroundings."