From bail to jail: How a road trip allegedly became a kidnapping
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DUBOIS – A woman was being held against her will during a road trip to bail someone out of jail, according to court documents.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office got a 911 call from a woman inside a gas station bathroom in Dubois saying she was being held against her will. According to charging documents obtained by EastIdahoNews.com, 34-year-old Daryll Romero, of Great Falls, Montana, is now charged with felony possession of methamphetamine, felony second-degree kidnapping and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
The road trip turned kidnapping began when the victim offered Romero a ride to Utah to bail his sister out of jail, according to an 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 felt safe enough to call 911.
When Chief Deputy Richard Lundberg and Clark County Sheriff John Clements arrived at the gas station near Interstate 15, they found a single car outside, according to an affidavit of probable cause. Lundberg spotted Romero playing on his phone inside the convenience store as Clements went to the bathroom to talk to the woman.
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Romero reportedly saw the investigators and tried to go outside, which prompted Clements and Lundberg to stop him and place him into handcuffs. They informed Romero he was being placed under arrest for kidnapping, and they took him to the Clark County Jail.
A Clark County ambulance arrived to help the woman, who had visible injuries on her neck, face and eyes. The Family Crisis Center from Rexburg also came to her aid.
At the jail, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office found a chain necklace with dog tags allegedly used to choke the victim.
Romero was out of breath and said he did not feel good. He also told emergency medical staff he had smoked methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in the last day, according to court documents.
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.
Two women also called the sheriff’s office on Wednesday, saying they had information about the case. One woman sent a screenshot of a concerning text message with explicit language. Additionally, investigators said Romero told the witnesses he wanted to hurt the victim.
One witness said Romero texted that “he lost his cool” with the victim and said, “Well know I’m driving, and she is in the … Back like tech 9 said lol.” He added the victim would only give him a ride to Salt Lake then to Butte.
The text apparently alludes to a song by the rapper Tech N9ne, which deals with violently putting a woman into the trunk of a car.
Although Romero is accused of crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Romero made his initial court appearance over Zoom on Wednesday afternoon and was being held in the Clark County Jail.