Maryland State Police arrested five individuals in connection with an alleged kidnapping and assault that occurred in Carroll County on May 21st. The accused are identified as Dequan Tyheem Gaines (27), Brian Scott Johnson (30), Jordan Gabrielle Riley (29), Marc Anthony Rivera (21), and his sister Sylena Marie Rivera (19) – all residents of Westminster.
Gaines, Riley, and Marc Rivera face criminal charges of kidnapping, second-degree assault, false imprisonment, and extortion. Johnson and Sylena Rivera are charged with kidnapping, false imprisonment, and extortion. All five suspects are currently being held without bond at the Carroll County Detention Center.
The two victims, a man and a woman, are adults. Their identities are being withheld at this time.
On May 21, 2024, troopers from the Westminster Barracks initiated an investigation after responding to a report of a kidnapping at a residence in Westminster. The mother of one of the victims told police that her daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend had been held captive.
While actively investigating the incident, Maryland State Police made contact with the male victim in a disabled vehicle on May 21st in the parking lot of a restaurant in Westminster. He was interviewed by Maryland State Troopers at the scene and later treated for injuries allegedly sustained during the incident at the Carroll Hospital Center.
The following morning, police located an uninjured female victim in a different Westminster parking lot at 8:00 am.
The investigation is being led by Maryland State Police from the Westminster Barrack, with assistance from the Criminal Enforcement Division Western Region, Maryland State Apprehension Team, U.S. Marshals Service, and Carroll County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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