Man accused of kidnapping estranged wife in Lacey, hiding her in woods, now in custody

A man whom police say kidnapped his estranged wife in Lacey on Sunday was taken into custody after the woman escaped and a citizen found the man’s vehicle in the woods.

Shortly before 1 p.m. on Monday, Lacey police were dispatched to the 3800 block of Rossberg Street Southeast. Dispatchers told officers they could hear muffled screaming and sounds of a struggle during a 911 call.

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Arriving officers found the garage door to Young An’s home open. A short time later, Young’s children arrived and told officers their mother and father had been at home when they left to go to the store about half an hour earlier.

No one other than the children was found in the home, but used duct tape that was believed to have been put on Young to restrain her was found by officers.

Young has a domestic violence protection order against her estranged husband, Chae An. An endangered missing persons alert was sent out through Washington State Patrol, while notifications were sent to phones in Thurston and Pierce counties and were posted on social media.

As Lacey officers canvassed the neighborhood, they obtained several security videos from neighbors. One video showed Chae pulling his van into the garage and shutting the door briefly, police said. He was then seen leaving just before officers arrived.

Shortly before 1 a.m. on Monday, a neighbor on Stedman Road Southeast was awakened by Young, who was pounding on their door asking for help.

She told the residents that her husband was trying to kill her.

Thurston County deputies and Lacey officers arrived and spoke to Young, who had non-life-threatening injuries.

Young told Lacey detectives that Chae kidnapped her from her home and drove her into the woods. She was able to escape and walked through the woods for 20 or 30 minutes until she reached the home on Stedman Road.

She was taken to a hospital to be treated for her injuries.

At 7:38 a.m., a citizen walking on a trail found Chae’s vehicle in the woods about 200 yards off Stedman Road. Thurston County deputies and Lacey officers quickly came to the area and found the vehicle.

Chae was taken into custody at 8:02 a.m. Lacey police said that after he was medically cleared to go to jail, he would be booked on multiple felony domestic violence charges.

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