Kidnapping Suspect Caught Near Lake Mathews

WOODCREST, CA — A woman flagged down police saying she had been kidnapped early Friday morning, alerting authorities of the crime as soon as she managed to free herself, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department said.

The suspected kidnapper, Maurice Gamble, 32, was arrested in the area of Canyon Ridge Road and Laurel Drive, according to a department news release. He was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center and was scheduled to appear at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Wednesday morning. He was being held on pending charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, and multiple weapons charges, jail records show.

Just after 1:15 a.m. Friday, Lake Mathews-area deputies learned of the kidnapping, where the unidentified woman was forced to drive Gamble from her home in Woodcrest to Riverside, according to Lt. Jared Howe of the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.

"The victim was able to flee from the suspect and got in touch with Riverside Police," Lt. Howe said.

The sheriff's department is seeking additional information on the suspect. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Deputy Torres at the Lake Mathews Station at 951–272–5600.