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Armed man forces woman to go to job interview with him — at a jail, Texas cops say

The victim was rescued after she flagged down a detention officer in the jail parking lot

By Mitchell Willetts
The Charlotte Observer

EL PASO, Texas — A Texas man is accused of assaulting a woman at gunpoint and forcing her to come with him to a job interview at a jail, police told news outlets.

Police say El Paso resident Matthew Joseph Contreras, 25, assaulted a 23-year-old woman on March 14, and held her captive, according to TV station KVIA.

Contreras kept her against her will even as they crossed the New Mexico state line for a job interview at the Otero County Jail, the station reported.

The victim was rescued after she flagged down a detention officer in the jail parking lot, police told KTSM. Otero County authorities contacted the El Paso Police Department, saying a woman from their city may have been kidnapped.

El Paso police launched an investigation and soon issued a warrant for Contreras’ arrest, the El Paso Times reported.

He was booked into the El Paso County Jail on Tuesday, March 15, on a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

His bond has been set at $100,000.

©2022 The Charlotte Observer.

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