Police Arrest Real Estate Abductor Suspect
Last Edited: Wednesday, 06 Sep 2006, 6:28 PM CDT
Created: Wednesday, 06 Sep 2006, 4:32 PM CDT
Rob Low
GRANDVIEW, MO. - A man wanted for kidnapping a real estate agent at gunpoint last month has been arrested. Grandview police said 26-year-old Jewell Saunders tried to run from them when they surrounded him at a gas station.
One security expert said real estate agents make easy targets. Tracey Hawkins called real estate agents sitting ducks. She said criminals who target them are rarely caught which is why she said it's so important for agents to protect themselves.
"I want to tell you I love my wife Debra, that's all I want to say," Saunders said on Thursday. "Are you guilty?" "No, I'm not guilty."
Despite his words, police consider Saunders a huge danger to the public. Detectives believe this surveillance video will prove Saunder's guilt. It showed Saunders at a Price Chopper with a real estate agent. Police said she was forced to withdrawal money after being kidnapped while showing Saunders houses.
"When you're showing buyers, nothing should ever come between you and your escape route," Hawkins said.
Hawkins teaches real estate agents how to stay safe, from using pepper spray disguised as lipstick, pens or pagers to simple advice.
"They meet complete strangers at empty properties or they allow complete strangers in their vehicles," Hawkins said. "That's a big no-no because they wouldn't pick up a hitchhiker."
Hawkins said agents should demand to meet their clients at their office first and to photocopy their I.D. It was surveillance video that identified Saunders and police surveillance that led to his arrest at a gas station.
Police said Saunders didn't give up peacefully. Detectives said as soon as they approached him, he threw a gun to the ground and tried to make a run for it. He didn't get too far.
"Typically the perpetrators aren't found, so this is definitely a head start," Hawkins said. Hawkins said the Saunders arrest is proof that it's no longer just buyer beware, but agent beware as well.
Saunders is being held on a $100,000 cash only bond. Coincidentally, Sunday begins National Real Estate Agent Safety Week.
