California woman speaks, after kidnapping ordeal that took her to Arizona and Nevada
In a follow up to a story that has been reported on over the past several days, a California woman who was kidnapped is speaking out, following an ordeal that took her to Arizona and Nevada.
Following Virginia Paris' alleged kidnapping by Joseph Hetzel, she was spotted in the Valley over the weekend, before she was able to get away in Nevada. The woman said she tried to run, but couldn't get away from Hetzel, and with no cell phone, Paris said she felt helpless, as the suspect drove through two states with her by his side.
"I tried running many times, but he wouldn't let me," said Paris. "He had me by his side. He wouldn't let me run. He was very forceful. Very, very mean."
Paris and Hetzel was spotted in Arizona two different times. The first time was at a Starbucks in Goodyear.
"Talks a lot about his explosives and what we can do, and what he's done to his ex-girlfriend," said Paris. "That made me really nervous, especially on this trip."
The couple ended up in Nevada. Newly released surveillance video shows the two inside of the Little Neon Chapel in Las Vegas, where Paris said she was forced to sign marriage papers.
"I was very upset. The first time, I walked away," said Paris. "I was extremely upset. I would not do anything and he ran after me because I was running."
Officials with the chapel talked about how Hetzel kept Paris by his side, inside the chapel.
"He grabbed her and was like, 'no no, you have to stay here, don't do this to me, come on, just do this, just do this,'" said said one official with the chapel. "She said, 'no, I don't want to get married.'"
Paris says Hetzel told her the marriage would get him out of trouble.
"I went through with it because he wouldn't stop," said Paris. Paris said, however, she never wanted to go through with the marriage, and that the marriage will be annulled.
Hetzel was reportedly taken into custody, after he was recognized while gambling inside of a Henderson, Nevada gaming parlor.