Feds charge man accused of kidnapping woman during road trip
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POCATELLO — A man who allegedly held a woman against her will on a road trip to bail someone out of jail is now facing a federal charge.
Daryll Romero, 35, of Great Falls, Montana, is charged with federal kidnapping after a woman called 911 in March saying she was being held against her will. A Tuesday federal grand jury indictment alleges Romero kidnapped the woman while traveling between Utah and Idaho, making it a federal crime.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office arrested Romero in March after the woman called 911 from a Dubois gas station restroom. He was charged in Idaho with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony second-degree kidnapping and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
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The trip-turned-kidnapping began when the victim offered Romero a ride to Utah to bail his sister out of jail, according to an Idaho affidavit of probable cause. After bailing the sister out of jail, the three drove Romero’s sister to Las Vegas and dropped her off. The victim and Romero then started driving back to their home in Montana.
When getting tired near Salt Lake City, the victim told investigators she pulled over to sleep because she was tired. According to court documents, this upset Romero, and he responded by hitting her, poking her eyes, choking her and threatening to kill her.
Romero is also alleged to have taken her phone and forcing her to get into the back seat of her car while he drove. With the car out of gas and the sun rising, Romero stopped in Dubois, and the victim got to the restroom and called 911.
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A search warrant was served on the car and inside the sheriff’s office reports finding multiple knives, a scale covered in a white powdery residue, small baggies, a meth pipe, butane touches and two cell phones. A small baggy with a white residue also tested positive for meth using a field-testing kit. At the jail, deputies found a chain necklace with dog tags allegedly used to choke the victim.
Although Romero is accused of crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted of the federal charge, Romero could be ordered to spend up to life in federal prison. There are no scheduled upcoming court dates in Romero’s federal case. A jury trial for the Idaho charges is scheduled for October.