Suspect in Dona Ana County abduction arrested in El Paso

Oct. 16, 2015 Update:The Dona Ana County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday night Andrew Serna, 42, was arrested by an El Paso Police officer.

Details of the arrest have not been released.

DASO spokeswoman Kelly Jameson told ABC-7 in a an e-mail more information is expected Friday.

Serna, accused of taking an elderly woman from her home in Dona Ana County, is behind bars at the El Paso County Detention Center.

Oct. 14, 2015 Update: Dona Ana County Sheriff’s officials have identified the man they say took an elderly woman from her home against her will on Monday as Andrew Serna.

The incident began Monday at the woman’s house off Shalem Colonial Trail, west of Las Cruces.

She was taken near Fairacres Elementary and then a convenience store on Avenida de Mesilla.

Detectives say 42-year-old Andrew Serna was behind the kidnapping and he has not been captured.

The victim told investigators she saw a man coming out of her house and that he told her he witnessed someone trying to break into her

He then offered to go with her to the police and they got in the woman’s vehicle.

Investigators say Serna led the woman to Fairacres Elementary instead, saying law enforcement would meet them there.

He then took over the wheel and drove the woman farther south to Mesquite and Mesilla Park before driving to the convenience store because the victim said she was thirsty.

Sheriff’s officials say the clerk got into an argument with Serna, who tried to convince the clerk the woman was his grandmother.

“I tell her, ‘do you want to leave with him?’ and she said no way,” said Maher Abdalluh, the store clerk. He then called authorities and did not let Serna leave with the woman.

A nationwide warrant has been issued for Serna’s arrest.

He is charged with false imprisonment, burglary, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and tampering with evidence.

Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222 TIPS (8477)

Original Story: Dona Ana County Sheriff’s deputies are searching for the man responsible for kidnapping an elderly woman Monday.

Sheriff’s officials say the 82-year-old woman was mowing her lawn when she saw a man exiting her house off of Shalem Colony Trail, west of Las Cruces.

The man the allegedly took the woman for a joyride in her car before a convenience store clerk scared the suspect off and called police.

According to the victim, she noticed her 2002 Chevy SUV appeared to have been moved out of her carport.

At the same time, she saw an unidentified man walking out of the back door of her house.

The man, who had the victim’s car keys in his hand, told the victim he had scared off a suspected burglar inside her house, and offered to go with the woman to get help from police.

The victim agreed, and was reportedly driving to the sheriff’s department when the man rerouted the woman to Fairacres Elementary, where he told the woman a sheriff’s deputy was going to meet them.

Sheriff’s officials say that at that point, no calls to the sheriff’s department had been made.

Once at the elementary school, the suspect forced the woman into the passenger’s seat and took over driving the victim’s car.

The suspect drove her to Mesquite and then to Mesilla Park.

Sheriff’s officials say the victim pleaded with the suspect to stop and allow her to get something to drink. The two stopped at a convenience store on Avenida de Mesilla, where the woman told a clerk that she had been kidnapped and needed to call police.

The clerk and suspect then argued, with the suspect trying to convince the clerk that the woman was his grandmother and she was just confused.

The clerk, not believing the suspect, called police anyway. The suspect then fled in the woman’s SUV.

Sheriff’s detectives are working on identifying the suspect. Anyone with any information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or send a tip via text message to CRIMES (274637) using the keyword LCTIPS. Both the Crime Stoppers number and text messaging service are operational 24 hours a day and you do not have to leave your name to collect a reward.