A woman who was kidnapped in Arizona took “extraordinary action” that led to her rescue, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO).
At 5 p.m. on the evening of August 22nd, the unidentified woman frantically scrawled a note containing her name, a description of the van she was in, a phone number, and a plea for someone to call 911.
She had been kidnapped, the note said, and she and her captor were headed toward Kingman and Las Vegas in a “blue Honda van.”
The woman managed to pass the note to a customer at a Chevron gas station in Seligman, the sheriff’s office said.
“The customer called 911 and YCSO Deputies responded immediately,” according to the press release. “The customer relayed that the van had just left westbound on I-40, and provided descriptions of the clothing for both the woman and the man with whom she was traveling. YCSO alerted the Department of Public Safety to assist in locating the van, which they were able to do at Mile Post 116 on I-40.”
Jacob Wilhoit, 41, was taken into custody and charged with “harassment, threatening and intimidating, aggravated assault, unlawful imprisonment, kidnapping, and several other assault charges.”
According to the YCSO, as authorities were catching up to the alleged kidnapper, “YCSO 911 Dispatchers determined that the victim had been reported missing by her mother and entered as missing/endangered earlier that afternoon.”
“The entry mentioned Jacob Wilhoit by name as a person of interest,” YCSO stated.
“Detectives learned that Wilhoit had abducted her from a car dealership in the Phoenix area on Monday morning at approximately 7 a.m.,” the press release reveals. “He was wearing a wig and pretending to be an Uber driver.”
Wilhoit allegedly restrained his victim as they drove to Las Vegas. She reportedly remained restrained as the duo spent the night at a Lake Mead park.
And according to the authorities, Wilhoit was well-armed.
“Multiple firearms were found in WIlhoit’s car in plain view,” YCSO confirmed.
“The victim’s extraordinary action in passing the note, the customer’s willingness to assist, and the quick actions of YCSO and DPS saved the victim from her kidnapper and allowed her to return home with her family,” the sheriff’s office said.
According to an Atchison Transportation Services (ATS) blog, “Uber’s process for onboarding drivers is dangerously negligent.”
“Neither Uber nor Lyft uses fingerprints or law enforcement to background-check their drivers,” the blog states. “And Uber doesn’t even bother to meet with drivers in person before allowing them to ferry passengers.”
The ATS, which offers “chauffeured ground transportation for executives, business travelers, meeting professionals and special events throughout North America,” according to its website, goes on to list a disturbingly long list of links to articles involving alleged crimes committed by Uber and Lyft drivers, dating back more than a decade.
In its second “U.S. Safety Report” dated June 1, 2022, Uber boasts, “In December 2019, Uber became the first in our industry to proactively release a comprehensive U.S. Safety Report detailing our safety-related policies and processes, as well as data on the most serious safety incidents reported on our platform.”
“As our report shows, Uber received 3,824 reports across the five most severe categories of sexual assault and misconduct,” the company stated. “Compared to the first Safety Report, which covered 2017 and 2018, the rate of sexual assault reported on the Uber app decreased by 38%.”
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Melissa Fine is the former executive editor of Casino Player, Strictly Slots, and Poker
Digest magazines. She is a UCLA graduate, news junkie, and dedicated Stargate SG-
1 fan. Melissa currently lives with her dog and two cats in a tiny town in the Sierra
Nevada foothills.
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